Saving for Your Health
I’ve recently gotten involve with a blogging project on natural health and wellness. Since then, I have gotten more aware about the need for a holistic approach to wellness. Not only am I more conscious of what I eat, I am more active. I also bought two health-related books from Booksale in my quest to become more informed on different health issues. These are “The 100 Simple Secrets of Healthy People: What Scientists Learned and How You Can Use It,” by David Niven, and “Life, LIberty, and the Pursuit of Healthiness: Dr. Dean’s Commonsense Guide for Anything That Ails You,” by Dean Edell.
Both books are highly informative and they help readers like me sort through the mumbo jumbo of the heatlhcare industry and make informed decisions about my health. But one thing that both books highlighted for me is the high cost of medical care. Thus, it makes it more imperative to follow the natural ways to good health and make sure that you save money for medical emergencies.
Unfortunately in the Philippines, the concept of saving for your health is almost non-exsistent for the average employee. Most rely on the health insurance offered by employers. But what’s worse is that most companies do not offer health insurance. Call center agents and other BPO workers enjoy good health insurance coverage but the same cannot be said for bone-tired factory employees, drivers, and other blue-collar workers.
PhilHealth, the Philippine’s version of Medicare, is already a big help for many but it is not enough. It mostly covers inpatient care and does not include discounts on drugs and lab tests, which can be quite expensive for the typical blue-collar Pinoy.
This clearly shows that our country is need of a health care reform that will allow Pinoys to start saving for their health, even without contribution from their employers. A health savings account will be a viable option for many blue-collar workers and minimum-wage workers. The government should encourage saving by making it tax deductible like in the US. Hopefully, something like this will be enacted in the new PNoy administration.
