I'm writing this just a week after my son, Lio, was discharged from the hospital. It's been a stressful week last week, but we're home, he's okay, and I have a lot of feelings including deep, overwhelming gratitude.
Because out of a ₱69,000 hospital bill, we only paid ₱1,500.
Let me tell you how we got here.
How It All Started
It started with a simple cold.
Nagstart sipon ni Lio nung Monday (May 11). Eventually naging ubo na rin. Binigyan namin siya ng gamot at pinapausukan, the usual home remedies. By May 17, I thought he was getting better. Never naman siya nilagnat, very active pa rin, matakaw pa rin kumain. I figured we were in the clear.
Then Monday (May 18) — runny nose again. Baka naman pawala pa lang ng previous na sakit, sabi ko sa sarili ko. But the cough kept coming back, and by Thursday (May 21), bigla siyang nagka-low grade fever in the early morning hours. That's when I decided to bring him in.
Walang available clinic ang mga regular na pedia niya, so a reliever doctor saw him. She noted that his cough had already been going on for quite a while, so she prescribed medication and asked us to come back Saturday (May 23) for a follow-up.
Saturday came and that's when everything shifted.
After checking him, the doctor advised us to have Lio admitted to the hospital. The diagnosis: Pneumonia.
The Hospital Stay
I won't sugarcoat it — it was stressful.
Lio had to be put on IV, and the first time they inserted the cannula, the vein ruptured so they had to do it again. Then he accidentally pulled it out two times again during our stay. That's a total of four times IV insertion. 😵💫 For a mama watching her baby cry through that, it was gutting.
We stayed from Saturday until his discharge — 4 days in total. He received nebulizations multiple times a day, IV antibiotics, and several lab tests. By the second day alone, the bill had already climbed to ₱34,000.
Watching those numbers go up was incredibly stressful, especially when you don't know exactly how much will be covered.
By the time we were discharged, the total bill had reached around ₱69,000.
Why We Only Paid ₱1,500
Two words: HMO + PhilHealth.
Back in February, I enrolled Lio in Cebuana Lhuillier HealthMax, an HMO plan powered by PhilCare. I paid around ₱3,000 for the plan — and I honestly didn't think much of it at the time. It just felt like the responsible thing to do.
That ₱3,000 just saved us ₱67,500.
Here's what happened at billing:
- PhilCare (HMO) covered a significant portion of the hospital bill and doctor's fees
- PhilHealth covered another large chunk on top of that
- We paid: ₱1,500
The two worked together to cover almost everything — the ER fees, room and board, medicines during confinement, nebulization, diagnostics, and professional fees.
Thank you, Lord. 🙏
What is Cebuana Lhuillier HealthMax?
It's a retail prepaid HMO plan — meaning you don't need to be employed to get it. Anyone can buy it online through Lazada or at any branch of Cebuana Lhuiller.
Key details of Lio's plan:
- Provider: PhilCare (PhilhealthCare, Inc.)
- Annual Benefit Limit: ₱150,000 (multiple use)
- Coverage: Hospitalization and emergency care for viral and bacterial infections, and accident injuries
- What's covered: ER fees, room & board, doctor's fees, medicines, diagnostics, and treatment during confinement
- Lio's plan cost us: ~₱3,000
His condition — Pneumonia — is explicitly listed as a covered case under the policy.
What Every Parent Should Know
1. Get HMO while your child is healthy.
HMOs typically do not cover pre-existing conditions. Enroll them early — as young as 15 days old for some plans. Don't wait until they're sick.
2. HMO + PhilHealth is the most powerful combo.
They complement each other. PhilHealth covers its portion, and the HMO covers what's left (up to your benefit limit). Together, they can wipe out nearly an entire hospital bill.
3. Know your policy before you need it.
Before or during the hospital stay, ask:
- Is this hospital accredited by your HMO?
- Is the doctor accredited?
- What room type does your plan cover? (Ward vs. private — the difference comes out of your pocket)
- What's the annual benefit limit and are there inner limits?
4. The HMO in-patient support team will guide you.
Once admitted, the HMO assigns someone to walk you through what's covered and what isn't. Ask questions. Don't assume.
5. Final diagnosis = basis for coverage.
Your HMO evaluates coverage based on the final diagnosis, not the admitting diagnosis. Make sure the final diagnosis falls under a coverable condition.
Final Thoughts
Lio is home now. He's back to being makulit, matakaw, and masaya and I couldn't be more thankful.
But I keep thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't bought that HMO in February. ₱69,000 is not a small amount. For many families, that's an emergency fund wiped out. A loan taken. A panic spiral.
For us, it was ₱1,500.
If you're a parent and you haven't enrolled your child in an HMO yet — please do it now. Not someday. Now. It doesn't have to be expensive. Lio's plan was ₱3,000 for the whole year, and it more than paid for itself in one hospitalization.
It's one of the most important things you can do for your child — and for your own peace of mind as a parent.
Have questions about how to get started with HMO for your child? Drop them in the comments below — happy to share what I know!
— Bee
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