The Negros Occidental provincial government is finalizing a group medical insurance package for its employees, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said on Friday, August 1.
The Negros Occidental Sangguniang Panlalawigan has already granted the provincial government authority to engage a medical insurance provider, he explained.
The initiative is made possible because of the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) Budget Circular No. 2024-6, which directs the granting of an annual medical allowance of P7,000 to eligible civilian government personnel, including those in local governments.
Diaz said the provincial government employees have a choice – they can either use their P7,000 allowance to join a group insurance package or take the cash.
The group insurance, which will use the P7,000 as premium, offers benefits of up to P98,000 annually for hospitalization, laboratory services, and dental care, Diaz said.
Employees with existing insurance can choose to participate in the new plan as a supplement to their current policy. Otherwise, they have the option to get the P7,000 to pay their own healthcare provider, Diaz said.
The provincial government currently has 3,301 employees who are eligible for this benefit, he added.*