Tagbilaran City (7 October) -- BRINGING government resources to a maximum while allowing people some responsibility in sustaining government health and medical benefits, Pilar, Bohol's innovative Singko for Life has been cited as one of the innovations that the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Bohol could consider.

Speaking in a presentation of Oplan 2.5 Enhancement of the PCSO GMA program during the LMP Chapter meeting held at the Governor's Mansion October 5, PhilHealth Provincial Head Nevaline Miranda said the counter-parting scheme adopted by the town may relieve government resources of spending its meager funds for things people might be willing to partner into.

Pilar, a fifth class agricultural town, which needs much of its meager resources for other equally important concern is not paying its PhilHealth full beneficiaries. Instead, Pilar adopted a sharing scheme where beneficiaries separately put in a monthly P5. It pays for his enrollment while the town shoulders the other half of the contributions too keep members covered under the government socialized health and medical insurance programs.

Meanwhile, Governor Erico Aumentado has told the mayors here that the province has already allocated funds as its share in contributions to Philhealth para sa Masa, even as he asked mayors to inform the Provincial Government of further widening Philhealth coverage on the town's indigents.

This so that because majority of towns here seek a 50% share from the Provincial Government while municipal funds are used for the other half.

This year, the government hopes to cover in PhilHealth's "Universal Family Health Insurance" some 5-M indigent families in the country. The family insurance program for social security to the poor was signed through Executive Order 276.

Key government agencies: health, agriculture, social welfare and development, and local governments now help officials identify qualified indigent families for the program.

Once identified, PhilHealth cards subsidized by the LGUs will be given.

The LGUs will secure assistance from the P3-billion fund, half of which will come from the PCSO.

In 2004, PhilHealth covered 40 million Filipinos, or 56 percent of the population.

The PhilHealth card includes free or subsidized hospitalization, room fees, doctor's fees, medicines, laboratory, x-ray and surgery fees.