Free PhilHealth coverage OK’d for solo parents

MANILA, Philippines —  Single parents will now be entitled to free coverage of the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) as provided under the law expanding the economic benefits for single fathers and mothers, a senior administration lawmaker disclosed yesterday.

Camarines Sur 2nd District Rep. LRay Villafuerte announced the free health services following a report from the National Council for Solo Parents Inc., which said PhilHealth is now working on the guidelines on the implementation of the free health services for single parents.

“Alongside a monthly cash subsidy for solo parents earning the minimum wage or below and the 10-percent discount plus exemption from the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) on certain essential purchases, single dads and moms are now entitled to free PhilHealth coverage,” Villafuerte said.

The Bicol legislator is the House of Representatives’ lead author of Republic Act 11861, which expanded the coverage and benefits due single parents and their families under the two-decades-old “Solo Parents Welfare Act of 2000” or RA 8972.

The PhilHealth coverage is automatic and will apply to both working and non-working solo parents.

RA 11861 increased the age threshold of the dependents entitled to the law’s benefits from 18 to 22 years and expanded the coverage of spouses to include not only the legitimate husbands or wives, but also partners in common-law relationships, as defined by the Family Code.

Villafuerte said solo parents may also avail themselves of the 10-percent discount and VAT exemption on their purchases of essentials such as baby’s milk, diapers and doctor-prescribed medicines for their kids aged six years and below.

Solo parents are likewise entitled to a seven-day parental leave with pay, regardless of employment status, and get priority in any telecommuting program of their workplaces, according to the lawmaker, who also co-authored RA 11165 or the Telecommuting Act of 2018.

Among those included in the definition of solo parents are those whose spouses have been medically certified as physically or mentally incapacitated, those who have been separated from their spouses for at least six months and have