ISO FULL COVERAGE HEALTH INSURANCE in cebu

I never figured out health insurance and hospitals in Cebu.  Cuz there is what is on paper and there is actual practice.

I am very fortunate that I have a 100% coverage policy for any and all medical necessities and my company provided a legal letter of guaranteed payment at 100% to two hospitals (the big ones) in Cebu.  But it did not matter.    I coordinated with hospital admin to set up an account but ended up just filing receipts after the fact.     You need to pay that downpayment in cash and unless insurance can process an pay in a day, you need the balance paid before the end of services. 

My impression is that there is what hospitals say versus reality with regard to paying for services.   In reality, doctors and hospitals want cash up front.   The guards in the hospital are more there to prevent you from leaving without paying the full balance.   The hospital denies this and most people passively deny this.  I can tell you without any doubt this is the reality.  If you try to leave hospital without payment in full, they will concoct a medical excuse and if necessary, physically tie you down.   This is Cebu only.   I personally knew a person who got shot (bystander), (10 years ago) was taken to the emergency room, and the family did not immediately have the downpayment, the hospital admin ordered that he be placed on the sidewalk until the family came back with money.  He bled out and died. The hospital denied this, but they were lying.   I even know a nurse at the hospital who only could look down in silence. when I asked if there was another explantion.

As I said this is Cebu only. I have had more reasonable experiences in other cities.   No complaints about the one hospital I used once in Manila.   

For health care, imo in Cebu, imo, you are best to find a good reasonable doctor and work backwards on how to make it happen.   I say this because I had one relative in Mindanao who got pneumonia about 9 months ago.  She died because the bacteria were antibiotic resistant and agressive.   She needed vancomycin or another new class of antibiotic (not avail in Philippines generally).   Because vancomycin is a last resort antibiotic only one doctor in the area can approve the use.   That doctor took the weekend off and was not answering his phone.   No prescription.   This had nothing to do with insurance or money, as I was willing to pay in cash via relative.  Had a the family known a well connected doctor in the area, the prescription would have been authorized immediately and she would probably be alive.     

You are always safest to have large pot of cash ready to pay the hospital down payment.

Before covid people living in USA came to Cebu for surgeries as well as dental.  Even including travel costs it was economical to do so. .  I suppouse good enough quality because it was rather common.   But I dont know where in Cebu.  (Someone told but I have forgot.)

coach53 wrote:

Before covid people living in USA came to Cebu for surgeries as well as dental.  Even including travel costs it was economical to do so. .  I suppouse good enough quality because it was rather common.   But I dont know where in Cebu.  (Someone told but I have forgot.)

I saw that too.   I was not trying to comment about the possible quality of care.  I was trying to comment on the administrative side (money/insurance of getting care).  I went to a dental practice in the basement of Ayala several years ago that was pretty good and did have patients from the US for medical tourism.