MANILA, Philippines — Starting October, Solo parents working in the public and private sectors will no longer have their employee share of health insurance contributions deducted from their paychecks under new implementation guidelines issued by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).
Under PhilHealth Circular 2026-0015, titled “Coverage of Solo Parents and Their Children or Dependents to the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP),” published on Sept. 26, 2026, the state insurer said that “the premium contributions of the solo parents in the formal economy shall be shared equally by their employer and the National Government.”
The circular operationalizes Section 12(c) of Republic Act 11861, or the Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act.
To qualify for the subsidy, working solo parents will be registered with PhilHealth as principal members under the “Indirect Contributor” category, with “Solo Parent” as their subtype.
PhilHealth emphasized that status verification was mandatory. “Only those with valid SPIC [Solo Parent Identification Card] shall be registered or tagged as ‘Indirect Contributors – Solo Parent,’” the circular stated.
Employed members must submit a duly accomplished PhilHealth Member Registration Form (PMRF), a copy of their valid SPIC, and an employer certification through their respective human resources departments or directly to the nearest local health insurance office.
The circular also emphasized the need to keep their local government-issued Solo Parent Identification Cards (SPICs) current.
“Solo parents shall annually inform PhilHealth of the renewal of their Solo Parent Identification Card (SPIC) before the expiration of its validity,” the circular read. “Failure to do so shall result in the automatic reversion of their membership classification to the applicable co-existing membership subtype upon the expiration of the SPIC.”
Under the guidelines, qualified solo parents and their dependents will retain full access to National Health Insurance Program benefits, including the YAKAP package and existing “No Co-payment/No Balance Billing” rules.
