Preparing the PhilHealth Employer's Remittance Report (RF-1) using the PPRS

The PhilHealth Premium Remittance System (PPRS) is a stand-alone application that is being distributed by PhilHealth since 1999. The system is designed in such a way as to facilitate the payment and generation of the RF-1 Remittance Report of the employers in a softcopy or text format. This post is intended to give you a bit more information on the PPRS as another reporting scheme.

Advantages in using the PPRS:

• Security enabled features which include user accounts to access the functionality of the system as well as system roles to determine which modules/functionalities may be accessible for a given type of user account;
• Facilitates preparation of reports for multiple employers;
• Printing of the RF-1 hardcopy, M5 summary and a transmittal list;
• Provides utilities such as backup of the database, restoration of database, management of users, employee transfers and others;
• Prepare the remittance report in advance prior payment so as to easily determine the actual payment to be made;
• Captures monthly remittance and report generation;
• Ease in updating the compensation bracket for the employer and employee share;
• Automatic computation of the bracket based on compensation/salary defined in the employee profile.

Disadvantages:

• There is minimal support being provided for the system;
• PhilHealth no longer provides updates to the functionality or enhancement of the system.
• Although the system can generate the remittance report monthly in text file format the old RF-1 layout is being used in the hardcopy.

Though no further updates are being provided by PhilHealth, the system is still considered as an option for the generation of the remittance report in softcopy or text format. If you wish to download an installer of the application click here. To download the User Manual click here.

The system is for those who are not at ease in using the Excel format or hardcopy, employers that see the need to have a back-up of their remittance reports, those who are not able to use the Electronic Premium Reporting System (EPRS) or those who do not have the capability or resources to develop a system to aid in the preparation of their remittance report.

How to Update Your Membership Record with PhilHealth

In our previous post, we discussed about the instances on when to update our membership record with PhilHealth and its importance. Here we will discuss the procedure and required documents to update your membership record.

Steps in updating your member record:

1. Fill-out the PhilHealth Membership Registration Form (PMRF);
2. Submit the PMRF with attached supporting documents to any PhilHealth Office near you;
3. Validate that the changes requested have been correctly reflected in your newly released Member Data Record (MDR);
4. For correction/change in your name, ensure that you are issued a new PhilHealth ID Card (PIC) reflecting the corrected/updated name.

Accomplishing the PMRF:

• Accurately write your PhilHealth Identification Number (PIN) in the form;
• Put a check mark in the "For Updating" under the PURPOSE;
• Write your name and date of birth. This will be used by PhilHealth to verify the member record retrieved using the PIN. If purpose is for correction of your name, write your correct name;
• Write the necessary information that you would need to update or correct, there is no need to provide all the information in the form. If you are going to update your address, just write in the address portion, to register new dependents, just write your dependent's information and so on;
• Affix your signature and write the date the form was accomplished.

Documents that are normally being required:

• ID card/s issued by a government official authority;
• Birth Certificate for correction on member's/dependent's name or date of birth and/or for declaring of new dependents;
• Marriage Certificate or Contract / Affidavit of Marriage issued by Office of Muslim Affairs to update your civil status, change your last name (for females) and/or to declare your spouse as a dependent.

Other documentary requirements can be found in the second page of the PMRF.

Cases for Amending or Updating Your PhilHealth Records

As PhilHealth Members, it is your responsibility to ensure that your information recorded in PhilHealth's database is up-to-date and accurate. If you want to know how to go about updating your information then read on.

When should you update your information?

• Correction in member profile
If you are issued a Member Data Record (MDR), immediately validate the accuracy of the reflected information. If you find that there is a discrepancy in your name, date of birth or any other information, you should amend or update your record immediately;


• Correction in dependent's profile
This can also be checked in the MDR. Check whether the name and date of birth of your declared dependents have been accurately recorded by PhilHealth as this might become a problem in availment of benefits;


• Change in address
If you relocated to another residence or address, immediately amend your PhilHealth record. It is important for PhilHealth to have your current address as notices/letters are being mailed based on your location registered in PhilHealth;


• Change in civil or marital status
PhilHealth will require a copy of your marriage certificate, or Affidavit of Marriage issued by the Office of the Muslim Affairs, or annulment papers in order to effect the change in your last name. You should also request for a new PhilHealth ID Card and MDR.
Males should likewise update their membership record to reflect the change in civil status and to include their spouse as a dependent;


• Change in membership category
For separated employees wishing to continue their coverage with PhilHealth, they should amend their record to be under the Individually Paying Member category (refer to this post for distinction between Professional and Non-Professional). The premium amount that you will be required to pay would depend on your membership category, so it is important for you to update it;


• Adding new dependents
If you wish to include your parents, spouse or child/ren under your PhilHealth coverage, they should be registered with PhilHealth as your dependents. For guidance on the declaration of dependents you may refer to this post. Siblings however cannot be declared as a dependent.

There are instances when you will no longer be required to go to PhilHealth in order to update your PhilHealth MDR. Among them are:

• If your member profile reflected in Claim Form 1 (CF1) is different from your membership record, PhilHealth will use the information contained in the CF1 to update your membership record. (Pursuant to PhilHealth Circular No. 08 s-2007);

• For the employed sector, if you are reported as a newly hired employee, then your membership category will automatically be updated to Private/Government depending on your company type. For separated employees, your membership record will reflect that you are already separated from the company. Those who transferred from another company, your record will display the new company. These information shall be captured using the Employer Remittance Report (RF-1). (Pursuant to PhilHealth Circular No. 13 s-2010);

• Retiring employees in the private/government institutions will be covered as Lifetime Members provided that the member is at least 60 years of age, has met the 120 monthly contributions and that their employer facilitated their enrolment at least three months prior to the date of retirement. (Pursuant to PhilHealth Circular No. 28, s-2010.

However, it is still recommended that you to check your current MDR so that any further discrepancies can be immediately amended. To know how to amend / update your membership information click here.

Members with Multiple Employment Can Avail Refund or Adjustment for Overpayment of Personal Share

Overpayment of Premium Contribution due to multiple employment is a situation where a person is employed in more than one employer and both employers are remitting PhilHealth contributions as mandated by Section 18-20 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations of R.A. 7875.

To resolve this situation, PhilHealth has released PhilHealth Circular No. 05 s-2009. In this circular PhilHealth members are given the option to apply the overpayment to succeeding months or to request for a refund of the personal share. The personal share is the amount being deducted to the employee. Discussed below are the two options.

Overpayment of Personal Share Applied to Succeeding Months

• Adjustment can be done only once.
• The following qualifications/conditions must be met by the requesting member:
• Member is currently unemployed;
• Aggregate monthly premium contribution is greater than the maximum premium rate in the prescribed premium contribution schedule (this may be based on the current rate at the time of the contribution);
• Overpayment occurred due to multiple employment;
• Overpayment incurred from January 2009 onwards (based on effectivity of the Circular);
• The period covered for adjustment is posted in PhilHealth's contribution database and Treasury database. (This means that you should be included in the monthly report prepared by your employer and the employer is paying the contribution as evidenced by the record in the Treasury database.)
• The overpayment of the personal share shall be reflected or adjusted as an advance payment of the premium contribution for the Individually Paying Member.

This alternative may be used by those shifting to the Individually Paying Member (IPM) category. It is advised however, that prior to paying the premium contribution as an IPM, you may request for the adjustment so that you will only be paying the remaining balance of your premium contribution dues for the current year.

Request for Refund of Personal Share

• This alternative is only available to members under the Lifetime membership program or eligible members of the said program.
• Qualifications are as follows:
• Overpayment was due to multiple employment;
• Overpayment was incurred only upon effectivity of the Circular;
• The period covered for adjustment is posted in PhilHealth's contribution and treasury database (This means that you should be included in the monthly report prepared by your employer and the employer is paying the contribution as evidenced by the record in the Treasury database.);
• Member is no longer employed;
• Member is 60 years old and above and has paid the 120 monthly premium contributions.
• Only the personal share shall be refunded to the member.

Documentary Requirements to avail of the Two (2) Options:

• Filled-out request form/letter requesting of adjustment or refund of overpayment in personal share (specify the period where you are being deducted more than once, include the names of your employers for the corresponding period);
• Copy of any 2 valid IDs with photo;
• Copy of Employment Contract reflecting monthly income and status of employment from each of your employers;
• Certificate of Employment with monthly income and status of of employment signed by the employers;
• Other documents required by the Collection Section of PhilHealth.

Before going to the PhilHealth Office, call the Collection Section first so that you will be sure what other documents they will be requiring you to bring.

Is PhilHealth violating our privacy?

We have received word from some of our sources that PhilHealth intends to provide a copy of their membership database to other government agencies. A memo was recently issued by the President of PhilHealth directing all their regional offices to extract the membership information and distribute it to other institutions.

Just what constitutes the membership database anyway? Basically all the information that you wrote down in your membership form is included in the membership database. This includes your address, telephone number, gender, date of birth, your dependents, civil status and your employer. We as members do not appreciate our personal information being given away to just anyone without our knowledge or permission as it violates our privacy and it is no different from giving away our identities to a strangers.

As a registering agency, PhilHealth should ensure the safety and appropriate use of the information they capture. If sharing this information is indeed necessary, wouldn't it be wise to have a non-disclosure agreement with the other party to ensure that only the right information will be provided to external parties and that the information will only be used for the purposes intended, nothing more and nothing less? In other companies, information is treated securely which is why information is protected from being leaked outside. Why then would PhilHealth be giving out their database, more so, our personal information without the necessary precautions?

We are not saying that data sharing is a bad thing. Given that it's supposed to be a straight government to government agreement, there is nothing irregular with sharing the membership data as long as there are reassurances that the data will not be copied by parties outside the government where it can be abused. Due diligence to protect our data should be ensured.

Just to be clear, we are just saying that PhilHealth should only provide information that is necessary to accomplish the goals it sets with other entities and that such information should be guarded via non-disclosure agreements to prevent unscrupulous parties misusing our personal information. They should, specify in writing, what information is to be shared, the parameters of how the information is to be used, and an assurance that the data will not be shared with outsiders.

In this day and age, knowledge is power. PhilHealth ought to be careful whom they trust our personal information with.

We just hope that PhilHealth takes the proper precautions before agreeing to distribute the data.