Healthcare firm expanding

Maxicare Healthcare Corp. is launching prepaid packages for non-enterprise clients in an effort to keep revenue growth at double digits.

Also, the health maintenance organization wants to increase its membership base by 24 percent this year to reach 800,000 from 700,000 as of end of May this year. It aims to hit one million members by the end of 2013.

Company officials said Maxicare posted P4.25 billion in revenues in 2011, up 15 percent from P3.6 billion in 2010.

Based on company data, the rate of topline growth has been easing from 58 percent in 2009 and 20 percent in 2010.

Maxicare vice president Armi C. Malaluan said in an interview this was mainly due to increasing medical costs as well as tightening competition.

Laluan said part of the company’s plans to keep a leading position in the domestic market was the introduction of offerings that cater to people with smaller budgets.

Jose Pastor Z. Puno, Maxicare president and chief executive, said in a briefing that two prepaid membership plans were expected to help the company reach out to a wider market.

“We are market-driven, so we are trying to reach people in the provinces, many of whom do not have medical care coverage,” Puno said.

“In fact, we have seen a healthy increase in what we call ‘virgin accounts,’ or those who have never had coverage before,” he added.

The CEO also said the Maxicare EReady prepaid card was launched, which was good for a one-time availment in a case of medical emergency.