Portability of Medicare benefits in PH for Fil Am retirees pushed

The Manila Times

Portability of Medicare benefits in PH for Fil Am retirees pushed  Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) Chairman Dante 'Klink' Ang 2nd meets with Eric Lachica, an advocate for US Medicare portability in the PH, and Mariela Fletcher of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations as they share updates on their meeting with private hospitals and hospital groups over the proposal to allow Medicare benefits of Filipino-American retirees and tourists to be used in Philippine hospitals.  Lachica and Fletcher said that the portability of Medicare benefits would allow Filipino-Americans receive cheaper healthcare  and be treated by the best doctors in the country.   VIDEO BY RED MENDOZA  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe   Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net     Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook   Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram   Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter   DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion     Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital Sign up to our newsletters: https://tmt.ph/newsletters    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify   Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts   Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic   Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein  #themanilatimes #tmtnews  #philippines

Transcript

00:00As you know, with the Commission of Filipinos Overseas, we had a second meeting today.

00:07Some of you were the first one to discuss the campaign of Erick LaChica's group to make

00:17Medicare-Medicaid portable to the Philippines.

00:21The first meeting, as you know, that you attended, we convened several government partners who

00:27can support this campaign, and as you know, the CFO does.

00:31And today, we invited members of our hospital community to discuss this.

00:39It was a very productive meeting where we outlined the benefits or the merits of the

00:46Medicare portability, and we had some discussions also on how the hospitals can work together

00:55to support the campaign.

00:58I'm here, as usual, with Mr. LaChica, but also joining us today is Ms. Mariela Fletcher

01:03of the NAFA.

01:08So maybe I'll give it to Erick first to give us an update.

01:16Thank you, Secretary Ang and Mariela, from our National Federation of Filipino American

01:22Associations.

01:24We had a very good second round of conversations, especially with our healthcare centers, partners.

01:34If I can mention their names, the Medical City, Ayala Healthcare, the Private Hospital

01:40Association, and Makati Med.

01:43So this is continuing.

01:45We've been at this, Mariela and I, on behalf of the Federation and our group, the U.S.

01:51Philippines Advocacy Group, based in Washington, D.C., that we are developing strong partnerships

01:58with our, renewing our partnerships, and developing a coalition to achieve critical mass to create

02:06the conditions here in the Philippines to welcome our elderly Filipino Americans and

02:13their spouses when they choose to retire permanently here in the homeland.

02:18So all of the developments this past two months have been very, very, very optimistic

02:25in my mind, especially with the thrust of President Bongbong Marcos and his healthcare

02:32advisors to create the conditions for a good welcome for our elderly Filipino Americans

02:40and OFWs.

02:43So Medicare portability should be permanent.

02:46Right now, as Americans, we'll only have temporary care if we choose to reside here

02:51in the Philippines.

02:53And many of us who are disabled, God forbid, not me, I'm still 72 years old, but I plan

03:00to retire here in five years permanently.

03:02So I'd like to have Medicare cover us.

03:07Many of us have very modest pensions, especially our immigrants who worked in the U.S. for

03:1310 or more years, their average pension's about less than $1,000.

03:19For those who are caregivers, domestic workers, folks who work in the Filipino-American restaurants,

03:27they would like to come back.

03:28And as you know, many of our so-called out-of-status Filipinos in America, there are more than

03:37300,000 according to the Ambassador Maldas, they'll be have to make a decision to come

03:44back soon to the Philippines to prevent embarrassing situation when they are forced home.

03:53So this will create jobs.

03:55We anticipate almost 2 million new jobs if we have healthcare portability in the Philippines.

04:03We expect about half a million elderly Filipinos and their spouses from the U.S. to retire

04:09here.

04:10As they say, a rising tide rises all ships.

04:15This will also improve the healthcare sector here.

04:19We have paying retirees and their spouses live here.

04:28Our organization, also headquartered in D.C., we have been working with the U.S. Filipinos

04:35for good governance on Medicare portability.

04:38And this is, Medicare portability is a must, I would say that, because of the senior part

04:47of our Phil-AMS diaspora.

04:51And when they retire here with Medicare, there's out-of-pocket costs that's less.

04:57And also, they'll be able to, the continuation of the kind of care that we can also, they

05:02can also avail of in the Philippines.

05:04We have the best doctors here, for that matter.

05:08And the care here is also different.

05:11But I do feel that, just like working last week with Secretary Ang on the Filipino-American

05:17diaspora, covering disaster relief, this is also part of the HR 7442, I believe so.

05:24So if we can just all work together and make sure that, you know, it may be a long shot,

05:30but hey, it may not even happen in my lifetime, but this is some work or initiative that we

05:36are planting seeds for now, for the next generation as well.

05:40So that's all I can say.

05:43Yeah.

05:44Well, let me just say that the bill referenced by Mariella is a bill that they plan to file

05:47in the U.S. Congress by the end of the month, if I'm, by the end of the month.

05:51So hopefully that will, that will prosper.

05:54I think one of the interesting things that came out of the meeting today, as Eric mentioned

05:58that there will be, or there can be substantial savings if the U.S. government decides on

06:04this.

06:05Not to mention the economic boost for the Philippines, but a comment made in the meeting

06:09today was that the outpatient costs in the Philippines will probably yield a bigger number,

06:19bigger savings for the U.S. because of the lower cost of checkups, blood works, other

06:26lab works done here compared to, compared to U.S. hospitals.

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Transcript

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