| The significance of the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) under the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act in the Philippines is undisputable. As a nation, we must ensure that healthcare is both accessible and affordable to every Filipino citizen, particularly those from marginalized sectors. SEDPI, an organization that champions social investments, nanofinancing, and financial education to alleviate poverty among Filipinos worldwide, is taking a significant stride in this direction. In a recent development, SEDPI entered into a strategic partnership with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), marking a significant step in fortifying its KaTambayayong program. This alliance with PhilHealth follows the organization’s successful collaborations with Pag-IBIG Fund in 2018 and the Social Security System (SSS) in 2019, enhancing SEDPI’s commitment to providing comprehensive social protection to its members. As SEDPI President and CEO, Vince Rapisura states, “Our partnerships with government agencies aim to bridge the gap in access to social welfare services, especially for marginalized communities.” In the last six years, the KaTambayayong program has disbursed Php 19.1 million as benefits to its members to cover for death, calamity, medical, fire and accident assistance. As of June 2023 alone, the program has released Php 2.9 million in benefits to 1,199 members. These milestones highlight the program’s commitment to providing an accessible and dependable safety net for nanoenterprises in times of crisis. The partnership with PhilHealth is poised to amplify the benefits that SEDPI members can avail of. Through the Group Enrollment Program under the NHIP, SEDPI will facilitate the registration of its enrollees, conduct educational campaigns about PhilHealth policies and benefits, and remit their premium contributions, thereby ensuring its members are covered by health insurance. Looking towards the future, SEDPI aims to further enhance its network of collaborations, with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) being the next potential partners. These future partnerships will focus on securing civil identity documents for SEDPI members, further solidifying their access to government services. Indeed, the partnership between SEDPI and PhilHealth is not just about providing health insurance; it is about empowering Filipino nanoenterprises, reducing poverty, and fostering a healthier nation. This collaboration represents a vital step towards ensuring the well-being of Filipinos, solidifying SEDPI’s commitment to sustainable development and its overarching goal of poverty alleviation. |