THE Insurance Commission (IC) has issued certificates of exemption to 26 companies which operate with a skeleton workforce during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
“Given the gravity of the COVID-19 situation, this commission finds the need to urge health insurance providers and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) to maintain their operational capacity for processing claims of their policyholders and members to ensure access to necessary medical treatments and health care services,” Dennis Funa, insurance commissioner, said in a statement yesterday.
The IC said it has issued certifications of exemption to seven life insurance companies, eight non-life insurance companies, seven mutual benefit associations, and four HMOs.
Entities seeking exemption of their skeleton workforce in the implementation of the ECQ must submit a certified list of personnel to the IC, the agency said.
The IC shall, thereafter, issue a certification that the list of personnel named therein are authorized to render service as part of the health frontline services exempted from the strict home quarantine.
To ensure the health and safety of the employees of these entities, Funa said stringent qualifications criteria must be observed in selecting the skeleton workforce.
Particularly, personnel who are 54 years old and above, pregnant women, those with underlying conditions, with COVID-19 symptoms, or those who have been exposed to persons under investigation or persons under monitoring cannot be considered as part of the skeleton workforce.
Funa likewise instructed these entities to implement physical/social distancing and other precautionary measures, including respiratory etiquette, hand hygiene, thermal scanning, and frequent disinfection of the workplace, living quarters and shuttles.
Under the implementing guidelines, health insurance providers and HMOs may adopt a flexible work arrangement and/or rotation of personnel.
They are likewise required to make the necessary arrangements for the transportation of their personnel from their residences to the office and vice versa, as well as make provisions for meals and lodging accommodation, including laundry facilities and supplies, as may be necessary.
