AN administration lawmaker yesterday reminded solo parents that they now have free coverage under Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) after the state-run insurance agency released last month guidelines on the implementation of free health services for single parents and their registered children or dependents last month.
Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte, principal author of Republic Act (RA) 11861 which expanded the benefits for single parents under the two-decade-old “Solo Parents Welfare Act” of 2000 or RA 8972, said covered are all those registered in the respective Solo Parents Offices (SPOs) or Solo Parent Divisions (SPDs) of the cities or municipalities where they live.
“Alongside a monthly cash subsidy for single moms and dads earning the minimum wage or below, and the 10 percent discount plus exemption from the 12 percent value-added tax on certain essential purchases, single dads and moms are now entitled to free PhilHealth coverage,” said Villafuerte.
RA 11861 increased the age threshold of the dependents entitled to the law’s benefits to 22 from 18 years old, and expanded the coverage of spouses to include not only the legitimate husbands or wives but also their partners in common-law relationships as defined by the Family Code.
Under PhilHealth Circular No. 2024-0020, which was published last Sept. 28, PhilHealth coverage is automatic and will apply to both working and non-working solo parents, Villafuerte said.
Solo parents are eligible to avail themselves of the PhilHealth KonSulTa Package and can sign up, along with their children or dependents, with an accredited PhilHealth Konsulta Provider of their choice.
In its Circular 2024-0020, PhilHealth said the automatic coverage gives flesh to Section 2(a) of RA 11861, which sets the State policy to “provide adequate social services, promote, full employment, a rising standard of living and an improved quality of life.”
RA 11861 tasks the government to “support the natural and primary rights and duty of solo parents in rearing their children by providing for their basic needs, and extending to them assistance in social services and welfare benefits, with the end in view of uplifting their status and circumstances.”
The law however states that the premium contributions of single dads and moms who have jobs in the formal economy “shall be shared equally by their respective employers and the national government.”
The PhilHealth circular defines as the children or dependents of solo parents those who are 22 years of age or below who depend upon their single moms or dads for support and who are unmarried and unemployed.
Those over 22 years old “but who are unable to fully take care or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation, or discrimination because of a physical or mental disability or condition also qualify as dependents of solo parents.”
Under the guidelines, solo parents can avail themselves of all the benefits as provided by law by presenting the Solo Parent Identification Cards and booklets that were issued to them by their SPOs or SPDs, respectively, in their cities or municipalities.
Villafuerte said that aside from parents whose spouses have passed away, unmarried fathers or mothers and rape victims who opted to keep their offsprings, those legally considered as “solo parents” under RA 11861 include the spouses or family members of semi-skilled overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who have been away from the Philippines for a period of 12 months; grandparents and other family members or qualified guardians who bear sole responsibility over the qualified children; and those whose spouses have been detained for at least three months for a criminal conviction.
Also classified now as “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 taken on sole parental care and support of their children; those whose marriages have been nullified or annulled and have been entrusted with solo parental care; and those who have been abandoned by their spouses for at least six months; and those whose spouses have been jailed for criminal conviction.
Alongside leave privileges under existing laws, solo parents are likewise entitled to a seven-day parental leave with pay regardless of employment status, and they get priority in any telecommuting program of their workplaces, said Villafuerte, who also co-authored RA 11165 or the Telecommuting Act of 2018.
In a 2017 study, the DOH and the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH) estimated about 14 to 15 million solo parents in the country.
Under RA 11861, solo parents who earn minimum wages or below will also get a higher monthly cash aid of P1,000 each from their respective local government units.
