I've been searching for a good health insurance/health card/health plan for me and husband since forever. But since both of us are freelancers, talong-talo kami sa individual premiums unlike those who are employed in companies and get the low group rates.
Research ako ng research but the more I know, the more I see how much is excluded, how much red tape you have to go through and how many loopholes there are in the contract. I also started looking at the maximum deductible limit -- usually 50K, 100K or 200K lang. Eh I'm thinking, I can easily save up that amount. Then if I have to use it, I can use it any way I want to. No paperwork, no exclusions, no questions asked (plus, clinics and hospitals usually prioritize those who pay cash). If I don't have to use it, then well and good, I can just put it aside for another year. I can make it earn a little pa in short-term funds and I don't have to pay a single centavo for premiums.
The only one that looks to be worth it is Blue Cross. The annual premium is as low as P5,000 to under P7,000 only for 21 between 40 years of age for a P500,000 maximum coverage (the lowest coverage). And if you get the co-pay plan, you can get an even lower premium. You can choose any hospital and doctor you prefer pa. The catch with Blue Cross is that they're reimbursement type -- you have to shell out cash. But that low premium for that high coverage is unbeatable.
As for those health plans that cover up to age 100, for me, they're very limiting. The older members of my family are often hospitalized but they're never long term, never due to the listed dreaded diseases, never require ICU and never need surgery. So if they had this plan, makuha lang nila is the daily income of what, 500 or 1000 pesos (when their average bill is around 30K)? Those values are hardly anything now, paano pa kaya when WE get older?
Tapos you pay for so long, 20 years, and then they only give you 1 up to 5 million as your coverage. Bawas na nga sila ng bawas from that, the money isn't earning pa. For me, I'd rather invest the premiums I would've paid for a plan like this and get at least DOUBLE the maximum coverage they're offering without any of the limits they've placed.
The thing is, I hope that I've saved and invested that amount before I actually need it. But then you don't really go out and buy an insurance product and hope that you need it immediately -- sure, it's the BEST return on an investment but omg, so sadistic.
So that's why I think Blue Cross is the best -- it's a small amount that goes a long way in protecting and giving peace of mind. Hindi yung nagkakandahirap ka to pay premiums or masayangan ka sa binayad mo kapag 'di mo nagamit.
