MANILA, July 7 (PNA) — Starting this month, employers in the government and private sectors shall pay their premium contributions, including that of their employees, to any of the accredited collecting agents (ACAs) or e-payment facilities of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
The new policy, which was articulated in PhilHealth Circular 009-2015, mandatorily requires employers with 11 or more employees to remit their premium payments directly to ACAs of their choice and not to PhilHealth offices.
According to PhilHealth president and CEO Alexander A. Padilla, the new policy will make premium remittances more convenient to employers and will free them from long queues in PhilHealth Local Health Insurance offices especially during deadlines.
“We are continuously making enhancements not only in our benefits but in our services as well, to further provide hassle-free transactions to our 86 million beneficiaries and ensure more efficient posting of premium payments,” Padilla said.
PhilHealth also clarified that mandatory payment in ACAs shall not apply to micro-firms or those businesses with less than 11 employees, including employers of kasambahays; or employers with 11 or more employees but are located in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas where there are no available ACAs or internet service providers.
Earlier, Padilla announced that employers in both government and private sectors shall also adopt the Electronic Premium Reporting System (EPRS) for the online submission of their remittance reports. For employers in areas where there are ACAs but no internet connectivity, they can still submit their soft copy remittance reports to the nearest PhilHealth office.
Padilla also reminded the employers to pay in accordance to PhilHealth Circular 001-2014 which provides that employers with PhilHealth Employer Numbers (PENs) ending in 0-4 should remit their premiums within the 11th – 15th day of the month following the applicable period, while those with PENs ending in 5-9 should remit their premiums on the 16th-20th of the month following the applicable period.
The new payment policy applies to premium payments for the applicable month of June 2015. The complete list of PhilHealth ACAs can be viewed at www.philhealth.gov.ph. (PNA)