The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will soon provide health care benefits to foreign nationals and former Filipinos who wish to retire in the country.

This development came about as it formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Philippine Retirement Authority in Pasig City.

Under the agreement, the PRA will facilitate the enrolment of foreign nationals under the Informal Economy member-category of PhilHealth.

The MoU aims to further strengthen the collaboration between the two agencies to promote the country as a retirement haven to qualified foreigners as support to PhilHealth’s thrust towards Kalusugan Pangkalahatan (KP).

“We intend to cover each and every Filipino, retiree man ‘yan o hindi, dayuhan man ‘yan o Pilipino... I think PRA will help us gain 100 percent coverage which is PhilHealth’s mandate,” said PhilHealth President and CEO Alexander A. Padilla.

PRA General Manager and CEO Veredigno P. Atienza, on the other hand, thanked PhilHealth for its support to help the agency attract more foreign nationals to permanently reside, retire and invest in the country.

PhilHealth and PRA are set to meet next month to establish a Technical Working Group that will work on the details of the agreement provisions that will form part of its Implementing Rules and Regulations. (END)