PhilHealth adopts unified PWD registry for member enrollment

The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will use the government's unified disability identification system to register and verify persons with disabilities (PWDs) under the National Health Insurance Program.

The policy was announced Friday, 9 October, following the issuance of PhilHealth Circular No. 2026-2017, signed by acting president and chief executive officer Beverly Lorraine Ho.

Under the circular, PhilHealth will adopt the Unified Persons with Disabilities ID System (UPWDIS), administered by the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

The system will eventually replace the Department of Health's Philippine Registry of Persons with Disability as the primary reference for verifying, updating and tagging PWD membership records.

PhilHealth said the move follows an NCDA administrative order issued in July establishing the unified identification system.

The policy also calls for coordination among PhilHealth, the NCDA, DSWD, Department of Health and local government units to maintain accurate membership records.

The circular took effect Friday following its publication.

Under Republic Act 11228, all persons with disabilities are entitled to mandatory PhilHealth coverage and automatic enrollment in the National Health Insurance Program.

The new guidelines aim to standardize how PWD records are verified and maintained across government agencies.