Employed solo parents are now granted immediate eligibility to avail themselves of benefits from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

PhilHealth – Western Visayas public affairs unit head Janimhe Jalbuna, in an interview on Friday, said the personal share for the premium of solo parents will be subsidized by the national government, while the employer will continue to pay its share.

Jalbuna said that under the previous circular, employed solo parents were still paying their personal share.

“With the new circular, even if they are gainfully employed, they will no longer pay their personal share because it will be paid by the government,” she said.

Their employer should send a certification indicating the list of solo parents, with an attached PhilHealth Member Registration Form and solo parent ID. Otherwise, the system will automatically compute their premium.

The deadline for paying their October premium is Nov. 15 and 20, so they still have time to process their documents, she added.

PhilHealth – Western Visayas has 2,800 solo parents and 3,321 dependents availing of benefits.

She added that the benefits of the solo parent will also be availed of by their dependents, 22 years old and below, and those they declare in their solo parent ID up to the fourth degree of consanguinity or affinity.

Before the new circular, indigent solo parents were already benefiting from PhilHealth benefits.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s regional office, as of June, has registered 9,763 solo parents, 4,190 of them female, and the rest male.

The highest registration was from Capiz, with 5,260; Antique, 1,429; Guimaras, 1,147; Iloilo, 1,068; and Aklan, 859.

PhilHealth Circular 2026-0015 further strengthens the implementation of the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, ensuring that qualified solo parents continuously receive their PhilHealth benefits. (PNA)