PhilHealth in Northern Mindanao Expands Coverage to Contractual Workers

CAGAYAN DE ORO, NORTHERN MINDANAO – In a significant step towards enhancing the welfare of contractual employees in Northern Mindanao, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth-10) has entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with various regional government agencies. The agreement, signed on Tuesday, is set to extend health insurance benefits to job order and casual workers, aligning their benefits with those of regular employees.

According to Philippines News Agency, the MOA falls under the group enrollment program, designed specifically to include job order (JO) and casual workers under PhilHealth’s coverage. Aceron emphasized the importance of this initiative, acknowledging that these workers face the same health risks and challenges as their counterparts in permanent positions, and their absence due to illness can significantly impact the operations of government agencies.

The MOA has garnered the support of several key regional entities, including the Department of Trade and Industry-10, the Department of Agriculture (DA)-10, and the Philippine Ports Authority in Misamis Oriental. DA-10 Director Carlene Collado highlighted the MOA’s potential to offer job order and contract of service workers in the department’s 20 attached agencies and bureaus enhanced health protection and benefits.

Collado also expressed his commitment to promoting this partnership with PhilHealth among other agencies, aiming to broaden the scope of protection for contractual workers across the region. This collaboration marks a proactive approach by PhilHealth-10 and regional government agencies to address the healthcare needs of a vital but often overlooked segment of the workforce.

The MOA signing coincided with the celebration of PhilHealth-10’s 29th founding anniversary, underscoring the organization’s ongoing commitment to expanding healthcare access and benefits to more Filipinos, regardless of their employment status.