05/02/2026
Itās already been a whole year since I was discharged from the hospital ā and Iām so grateful to be doing well now. Last year, I was admitted for 10 days due to Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever with signs of bleeding. What made it even more overwhelming was that it was my first time ever being admitted to a hospital ā and that experience really opened my eyes to both the value and limitations of health coverage.
As the sole provider for my daughter and father, hospitalization is one of the things I dread most ā but we can never truly avoid health issues, as I learned firsthand.
A week before being admitted, I was already doing outpatient monitoring with CBC tests, and my HMO (which has a 60,000 peso limit) covered 15,000 pesos of those costs. When I was finally hospitalized, only the remaining 44,000+ pesos from my HMO limit could be used.
My total hospital bill reached 112,000 pesos ā and that didnāt even include doctorās fees, the 6 bags of platelets I had to purchase separately, other transfusion charges, and additional medicines. I had already closed my account by then, so these extra costs couldnāt be charged to any coverage. PhilHealth did help, but only covered 6,000 pesos of the hospital bill.
Iām thankful though that I also had a separate insurance policy that covers dengue ā I was able to claim 15,000 pesos specifically for dengue, plus 20,000 pesos in hospital income benefits (calculated as 2,000 pesos per day x 10 days of admission). Thatās a total of 35,000 pesos ā and even though it may seem like a small amount compared to the overall costs, it was a great help compared to having nothing at all.
Hereās what really shows how insurance works: I had only been paying for the policy for almost 5 months when I got sick. With premiums at 1,515 pesos per month, I had only paid a total of 7,575 pesos ā but I was able to claim 35,000 pesos in benefits.
While having an HMO and PhilHealth was a big help, this experience showed me that basic coverage may not be enough for serious health crises. Itās more than just having a policy ā we also need to understand its limits and consider additional coverage to protect ourselves and our families from unexpected costs.