On October 03, 2018, through the initiative of Assistant Court Administrator (ACA) Lilian Barribal-Co, a Technical Working Group (TWG) was created for the procurement of the appropriate Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Plans for Judges and Court Personnel of the First and Second Level Courts. The TWG was composed of the representatives of the three judges associations PJA, METCKAP, PTJL , the PACE officers for the court personnel and the heads of the different departments in the SC.
METCJAp Resident Judge Leilani D. Grimares was designated to Chair the TWG with Judge Sheryll Tulabing as the Head of the Secretariat.
After several meetings, the TWG drafted a TOR for the Comprhensive Hekathcare Plan for judges of the first and second level court including Sharia Courts, with the following key provisions:
- A functioning network of affiliated tertiary hospitals and clinics nationwide. This also includes the five (5) major hospitals in Metro Manila (St. Lukes Hospital, Asian Hospitals and Capitol Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Makati Medical Center together with their specialist.
- Reimbursement of prescribed out-patient medicines up to Php15,000.00 per member per contract year.
- Maximum coverage limit (MCL) per member per illness or injury, per year shall be as follows
- DEATH BENEFIT:
- Financial Assistance in the minimum amount of Php60,000.00 shall be given regardless of the cause of death of the member.
- Waiver of Pre-existing Illness.
- Maximum Hospital Coverage: Php 250,000.00 per illness per year with a premium of 1,200 to 1,300 per month.
The said proposed TOR was submitted to the Judiciary-Wide Committee on Health Care Benefits of Justices, Judges and Certain High Level Officials of the Judiciary. Then the committee endorsed the TOR to the SC En Banc and A.M. No. 18-07-09-SC was issued on July 16, 2019.
The said Sc circular is the latest Developments Relative to the Judiciary-Wide Committee on Health Care Benefits of Justices, Judges and Certain High Level Officials of the Judiciary) where the Court resolved to:
- APPROVE the Proposed Terms of Reference for a Comprehensive Health Care Plan to all lower court judges of the first and second levels including Sha’ria Courts proposed terms of reference for a comprehensive health care plan to all lower court personnel of the first and second level including Sharia courts in the respective amounts of 35,640,000.00 and 166,400,000.00 respectively inclusive of value added tax.
- Increase the subsidy of the lowest court from sixty million pesos under the present reimbursement scheme of the supreme court health and welafare plan (SCHAWP) to 80,000,000.00 per year for the procurement of the appropriate health maintenance organization (HMO) for the judges and personnel of the lower courts.
- Order the commencement of the procurement process of the aforesaid healthcare service and
- Referring the matter to the Procurement Planning Committee for appropriate action.
On September 24, 2019 there will be a Pre-Procurement Conference called by the BAC and General Services of the SC.