Technology brings health insurance to MSMEs

FULLY DIGITAL Hive Health’s Jiawen Tang, president and cofounder and Camille Ang, CEO and cofounder with Sachie Reyes, CEO of HPPI at Hive Health media launch —Contributed photo

Hive Health, the first fully digital health insurance startup in the Philippines, is making it easier and more convenient for micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs) to gain access to essential health-care services.

Camille Ang, Hive Health cofounder and chief executive officer, points out that the high costs of medical care force thousands of people into poverty. Jiawen Tang, cofounder and Hive Health president, adds that existing health plans barely cover the actual costs of medical care. The systems for availing of services of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are also often complicated and confusing.

By being fully digital, Hive Health offers “hassle-free, cost-effective” health maintenance plans for MSMEs, which need reasonably-priced packages for their businesses and often cannot afford the higher-priced packages offered by traditional insurers.

As part of its efforts to bring the benefits of HMO services to MSMEs, which form the backbone of the Philippine economy and are bigger generators of employment than big corporations, Hive Health has acquired Health Plan Philippines, Inc. (HPPI), a pioneering HMO in the country.

Hive Health will share its technology and data-driven innovations to raise the level of services HPPI delivers to its clients.

In partnering with HPPI, Hive Health says the 37-year-old company has built one of the widest networks of accredited providers nationwide (with more than 1,700 hospitals and clinics, and 60,000 doctors across the country).

HPPI has made medium-sized institutions its primary focus. With Hive Health, it can expand its reach to cover the entire range of MSMEs.

Shared vision-mission

Hive Health and HPPI, says Natasha Reyes, CEO of HPPI, have the same missions. Both genuinely want to make health care accessible to more Filipinos and introduce changes to improve the patient experience.

As a full-stack digital health insurer, Hive Health offers hassle-free, comprehensive HMO health plans for SMEs and startups that include outpatient, inpatient, emergency and dental care.

Hive Health’s digital platform empowers patients to manage their own care and their dependents’ care effortlessly. Tasks, such as requesting letters of approval, can be accomplished within minutes and allow patients to skip long lines in hospitals.

Using their smartphones or other digital gadgets, clients can view plan benefits, find nearby service providers, schedule annual physical examinations and access medical records.

Patient-first approach

Members will also be able to claim quickly out-of-network reimbursements within three to five days and enjoy exclusive wellness perks.

Tang adds, “We’re also proud of our one-of-a-kind vertically integrated telehealth and care coordination model that bridges virtual and in-person care. Patients can book on-demand video teleconsultations with our team of Hive doctors, who use our in-house electronic medical records system to enable patients to get more accurate diagnoses and access the right care whenever they need it.”

For small business owners and human resource (HR) managers with limited bandwidth to go through cumbersome paperwork, Hive Health’s HR dashboard simplifies onboarding and offboarding, streamlines invoicing and empowers business owners and HR to encourage employee engagement and wellness.

Carmina Bayombong, CEO of InvestEd, an education financing platform, says their employees are quite happy with Hive Health’s patient-first approach that is truly differentiated. The employees have told her, she says, that they do not want to go back to the brick-and-mortar HMOs.

Hive offers essential benefits like mental health, medicine, preventive care and maternity care and is also dedicated to promoting inclusivity for minorities, such as the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex or asexual) people and domestic partners.

Hive Health says it is committed to making quality health care accessible to all and ensuring that all Filipino employees receive the best possible care. —Contributed