Changing Philhealth Member Category

Last time, I wrote about on how to know your Philhealth Identification Number and how to have one.  This post is also dedicated to Philhealth membership. I want to share my experience in changing my father’s member category from self-employed to lifetime.

When my dad joined the league of senior citizens, I was obliged to go to the Philhealth office near the LRT Quirino Station (find one near your area) and acted on his behalf to change his category into lifetime/non-paying member (which means one need not pay the premium and still benefit like the paying member).

Requirement:

1. Authorization letter
2. Photocopy of ID (probably 3, including the senior citizen ID)
3. Photocopy of member’s and representative’s (that would be me) birth certificates
4. Accomplished application form
5. 1 x 1 photo
6. Member data record
7. SSS contribution record (printed and taken from the SSS kiosk)

These are the requirements I was required to submit, but I wasn’t sure if all of these would also be required from other senior citizen applying for a non-paying membership. Perhaps, some may vary. Prior to submission of requirements, I was sent to 5th floor for the verification of my father’s contribution and record. Afterwards, everything went well. If I’m not mistaken, I received my dad’s new Philhealth ID Card that same day which is my second time. In the first, the requirements were incomplete.

My dad was happy to have his new Philhealth ID with the same number and with a category as a non-paying  member, but mostly because he didn’t have to get all the requirements and line up. I have to get used to being my parents’ “representative” anyway. Besides, how can I overrule their argument about “rayuma,” queue, high footbridge, and other infrastructure and transportation that senior citizens consider as unfriendly to their  health.