00:00 To increase the benefit package for heat-related illnesses and Z-benefits for breast cancer patients,
00:07 we will be joined by Sir Ray Balena, the acting vice president of the Corporate Affairs Group of Field Health.
00:13 Sir Ray, good afternoon.
00:15 Good afternoon, Ms. Queng, and of course, to you, Ma'am Ninia, and to all those who are watching your program. Good afternoon.
00:23 Sir, just to be clear, what is the covered heat-related illness of Field Health at the moment,
00:31 and how much is the original coverage of Field Health for these diseases?
00:36 Yes, Ms. Queng, our discussion is being delayed because we are experiencing heat, right?
00:42 The weather is very hot. So our first message here, Ms. Queng,
00:46 is to follow the advice and instructions of the Department of Health of Sagay, Pan, not to get sick when the temperature is high.
00:54 But if ever, in our country, despite being careful, we need to be admitted to the hospital because of heat stroke,
01:03 we have a benefit package for that. It is worth P8,450.
01:10 Before, it was P6,500 but effective February 14, we increased by 50 percent in most of our case rate packages, it became P8,450.
01:24 Okay. What are the scopes and limitations of this additional benefit package for heat-related illnesses sir?
01:34 Well, the package is inclusive of our hospital charges and professional fees of the attending physician.
01:48 So our members can afford both the hospital charges and the doctor's fee.
01:56 Sir, how can a Field Health member be eligible for this benefit?
02:04 What are the requirements to avail this benefit package and are outpatients included?
02:10 Yes, Ms. Queng, we want to remind our fellow Filipinos that under the universal healthcare law,
02:17 as long as you are a Filipino, you are a member of Field Health and because of that, you are immediately eligible for Field Health benefits.
02:24 That means, each time that our fellow Filipinos need to be hospitalized or get treated,
02:30 before they pay, their Field Health benefits will be deducted.
02:36 We just want to remind our fellow Filipinos to make sure that the facility they will be going to is detained.
02:46 Sir, one more good news for Field Health members is the enhanced Z-benefit for breast cancer patients.
02:55 How important will this coverage be for now and how effective is this additional benefit?
03:03 Yes, this is a good news for our fellow Filipinos, especially for those who are going to receive treatment,
03:09 and even for those who are currently receiving breast cancer treatment.
03:13 Because our Field Health Board approved that it will be effective on March 30 of this year,
03:19 our Z-benefit for breast cancer will be up to P1.4 million coverage, ma'am Ninia.
03:26 Before, our coverage was P100,000. Now, we will pay up to P1.4 million for treating our patients.
03:39 The good thing about this, ma'am Ninia, is that all stages will be available for the patients.
03:48 The good news is that they will be able to avail this package.
03:56 Because before, only the earlier stages are qualified for the Z-benefit for breast cancer.
04:03 Sir, how about other cancer diseases? Is it only for breast cancer patients?
04:09 Yes, ma'am. I haven't received any sequential treatment.
04:16 Is it only for breast cancer patients?
04:19 Because there are patients who have other cancers in other parts of their body.
04:25 Hello, sir.
04:32 This enhancement for our Z-benefit for breast cancer is already a year.
04:37 You know, Ms. Queng, this year also, according to our benefit plan approved by our Field Health Board,
04:43 our prostate cancer package is also enhanced for adults and cervical cancer for women.
04:53 Those are some of the things that our countrymen will be waiting for.
04:58 We also have other cancer packages like leukemia and other diseases.
05:13 Alright. So I understand that you have selected the cancers that our countrymen will be waiting for.
05:22 So if you have a cancer that's not related to any of those in the Z-benefit package,
05:29 are there still those who can get the Field Health benefit?
05:35 Yes, there are, ma'am Ninia. That's right.
05:38 Of course, that's one of the priorities of the Field Health.
05:43 And of course, our packages are for those who need more women.
05:50 But in other cases of cancer, where we don't have Z-benefit package for them,
05:57 we still have the Field Health benefit under the case rates packages.
06:02 By the way, I just can't recall earlier, our other cancer packages, we also have colon cancer and rectum cancer.
06:13 We also have Z-benefits for those. I just can't recall earlier.
06:18 But you're saying that just like that, there are different types of cancer.
06:23 Will the benefits of breast cancer patients be the same for the next few years or months?
06:33 That's not far, Ms. Queng, because we know that cancer is catastrophic and expensive and it's a long-term treatment.
06:45 So it's not far that we will have Z-benefit packages for other cancers.
06:53 But while we don't have it yet, our countrymen can still hope that the Field Health will still answer that under the case rate packages.
07:02 All right, sir. What is the process to qualify a Field Health member for this enhanced Z-benefit package?
07:11 And are the contracted and accredited health facilities of the country enough for this?
07:18 Well, the first step for our countrymen is to do their diagnostics in the contracted hospitals of Field Health for Z-benefit for breast cancer.
07:33 At the moment, it is already in the country.
07:41 The good thing is, if they go there, they can avail of our enhanced package of up to P1.4 million.
07:52 Just go to our website for the full list. In the National Capital Region, PGH and East Avenue Medical Center are included.
08:05 It's important that we go to the contracted hospitals to ensure that the patient is assisted by our Z-benefit coordinator.
08:14 Because every contracted hospital has a Z-benefit coordinator who will assist the patient and he is the only one who can talk to the field.
08:24 Therefore, the patient is focused. Well, the Z-benefit coordinator does work with Field Health.
08:32 So sir, in your record, since the start of this Z-benefit, how many have benefited from this and what are the benefits and what is the coverage of this benefits including chemotherapy?
08:47 I will start with the chemotherapy, Ms. Queng.
08:53 As you know, in our enhanced benefit package of up to P1.4 million, the range of the budget of Field Health for cystotoxic chemotherapy is from P43,000 to P185,010.
09:11 The cost driver, the most expensive of the medicines is P4 million.
09:25 This is the budget.
09:29 As of now, Ms. Queng, I don't have hard data as to the number of beneficiaries since we launched this.
09:38 But in the next, you can expect that we will give you the data ASIC-Queng.
09:45 Sir thank you very much. Please message to all members of Field Health who are watching us now.
09:51 First, thank you very much to Bagong Pilipinas, ASIC-Queng, Ma'am Ninia for giving us the opportunity to report on this.
10:01 We would like to remind our countrymen that if they have additional questions and whenever they have time to think of questions,
10:10 they can call Field Health here at 866-2588.
10:17 We will answer your questions.
10:19 Sir thank you very much for your details and your time.
10:24 I'm Ray Balena, the Vice President of the Corporate Affairs Group of Field Health.
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