Hospital confinements due to Chikungunya and Novel Corona virus 2012, compensable--PhilHealth

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has advised its members that hospital confinements due to Chikungunya and Novel Corona virus 2012 are covered by the health insurance agency. Chikungunya is a viral disease caused by mosquito with symptoms very similar to that, but not as deadly as to its more notorious cousin dengue, while the Novel Corona virus 2012 is believed to be a new type of corona virus which causes severe respiratory illness. More details after the jump.

In his advisory, PhilHealth President and CEO Dr. Eduardo P. Banzon said that both diseases fall under case Type A.

Banzon said that when treated in a Level 3 or 4 facility, members are entitled to the following benefits under the fee-for-service payment : P500/day for room and board and maximum of P4,200 for drugs and medicines, P3,200 for x-ray, laboratory and others and P2,000 for professional fee. Chikungunya, he said, may also be treated in level 1 or 2 facility but with lower benefits.

"Availment of these benefits is subject to medical evaluation and existing policies on claims payment," he said.

He added that employed and individually paying members should have at least three months’ premium contributions within a six-month period prior to the month of availment to be able to avail of these benefits. On the other hand, sponsored and overseas worker-members may avail themselves of the benefits within the validity period of their PhilHealth coverage as reflected in their PhilHealth cards and enhanced Member Data Records (MDRs) respectively.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain and shares some clinical signs with dengue and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common. Other symptoms include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. There is no specific drug to cure the disease and there is no commercial vaccine for this.

Corona viruses, on the other hand, are a large family of viruses that includes viruses that may cause a range of illnesses in humans, from the common cold to SARS. In September 2012, the United Kingdom informed WHO of a case of a 49 year old Qatari national with travel history to Saudi Arabia and Qatar of acute respiratory syndrome. WHO has continued to monitor the situation and no additional confirmed cases have been reported and there is no evidence so far of person to person transmission of the novel coronavirus to date. (PhilHealth/RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)

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