According to statistics from the Department of Health (DOH), non-communicable diseases (NCDs) or lifestyle diseases such as heart attack or heart failure, stroke, and cancer are the top 3 leading causes of death among Filipinos.
Digging deeper into the numbers, it is reported that more than 276 Filipinos die of heart disease on a daily basis. Moreover, 9 people are diagnosed with cancer every hour, and 142 Filipinos die from cancer every day. At least one Filipino suffers from stroke every 9 minutes; for those who survive, they have a 75% chance of becoming permanently disabled.
While there may be increasing public awareness to preventing these diseases through diet and exercise, little is done to raise awareness for Filipinos to prepare financially for the impact of having any of these lifestyle diseases.
The cost for heart by-pass surgery, chemotherapy, or brain surgery ranges from P500,000 to as much as P1,000,000, an amount that most regular health plans cannot cover. Moreover, it is estimated that medical costs are expected to double in the next 10 years — a rate much higher than economic inflation.
That is why AXA Philippines, one of the country’s largest and fastest growing life insurance companies, is helping Filipinos prepare for the threat of future major medical emergencies by launching three (3) new products that provide adequate coverage to Filipinos when they face a critical illness.
“We want to give customers what they need,” says Rien Hermans, President & CEO of AXA Philippines. “With the health trends in the Philippines and in most countries today, the risk of developing a critical illness is now higher than ever. Therefore, people should be protecting themselves from the financial impact of being diagnosed with a critical illness.”
“Each of our three products are individually designed to address the needs, said Amor Balagtas, Chief Marketing Officer of AXA Philippines.
Health Exentials is a simple, all-in-one health and protection plan that gives the greatest value at an affordable price. For as low as P59/day, customers can get P5.5 million worth of comprehensive benefits, which include a critical conditions benefit, total & permanent disability benefit, daily hospitalization income benefit, a one-time surgical benefit, and a maturity cash benefit. Health Exentials premiums can be as low as only P1,140 a month or P39/day.
Health Max provides maximum lifetime coverage as it gives medical benefits until age 100. It also has the widest coverage of illnesses in the market today, covering 56 major medical conditions and 18 minor illnesses. Early stage cancer diagnosis and angioplasty, not normally covered by other health plans, are included in Health Max. It also has higher medical benefits of up to P10 million, as well as a special Advanced Health Fund that starts at age 70, which can be used for various medicines and treatments most common at that age.
SME ProteXion caters to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with at least 10 employees. It offers health and protection packages-in-one with various benefit options to choose from such as critical care coverage, daily hospitalization income, life insurance coverage and death and disablement coverage. This simple and straightforward product has flexible payment options to suit your business budget.
“What we are emphasizing is the importance of adequate financial preparedness,” says Hermans. “Critical illnesses have significant physical and financial impacts, and we want Filipinos to understand that there are products available that will enable them to financially secure their health-related needs, and they can do so while they are still at their prime.”
Here are the results of the study:
Health is measured through health outcomes (major causes of disease and death), health determinants (factors that affect health both at the individual and population level), and the health system (access to healthcare, provision of
health services).
We are living longer, and the elderly population is gradually increasing.
>Filipinos are living longer lives, however, women continue to outlive men.
>Retirement age continues to be at 65, which provides Filipinos with more years as an elderly.
> This means that a) Individuals need to ensure financial security as their chances of joining the elderly population increase; b) In the long run, health systems will need more resources, especially health workforce, to
meet the needs of the aging population; and c) Today’s younger generation has to consider this transition as they prepare for future life.
> We get sick and die more often from chronic non-communicable diseases.
> Three-decade trend: Filipinos have been getting sick due to infectious diseases (e.g. influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis, among others) but chronic hypertension is rising as a leading cause of illness.2
>> Three-decade trend: Today, more Filipinos die of chronic, noncommunicable
diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
> On cardiovascular disease: Stroke is the leading cardiovascular disease for both Filipino men and women, followed by myocardial infarction, commonly known as a heart attack.
>>Females past midlife (50-59 years old) are at increased risk of heart attacks.
>>Meanwhile, males 60-69 years old are at greater risk of coronary
heart disease.
On cancer: Lung cancer is the most common prevalent type of cancer for both sexes and for males, while breast cancer is the most common cancer for women.
> On diabetes: The risk of acquiring diabetes is greater for females, for the upper socio-economic classes, for those living in urban areas, and for those who have completed college.
The people who are likely to have diabetes are also likely to be obese, and to have high cholesterol.
We are exposed to many biological and behavioral risk factors of chronic non-communicable disease.
Non-communicable diseases are produced by a combination of factors: biological risk factors, behavioral/lifestyle factors, and social and environmental determinants.10
Biological risk factors include high blood pressure, high blood glucose, abnormal blood lipids, central obesity, and abnormal lung function.
Behavioral/lifestyle factors include tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, and alcohol intake.
Social and environmental determinants include globalization, urbanization, poverty, low education, aging, stress, and even culture.
Biological risk factors: 1 out of 4 Filipinos are hypertensive11, while 1 out of 20 Filipinos have high fasting blood sugar12. Nearly 1 out of 4 Filipinos are either overweight or obese.13 Biological risk factors: Females are 10 times more likely to have a high waist-to-hip ratio than males.
Lifestyle factors—smoking and alcohol: Men smoke five times more than women.15 They also drink five times more than women.
Smoking is most prevalent among males, the poor, those who live in rural areas, or those who never went to school.
Lifestyle factors—consumption of saturated oils: If you are male, from the upper socio-economic classes, living in urban areas, or college educated, you are likely to consume more saturated oils than the average Filipino.
A member of any of these groups is also more likely to consume more softdrinks than the average Filipino.
Lifestyle factors—consumption of salt: The poor, those who live in rural areas, and those who did not have any formal education are likelier to include more salt in their diet.
Lifestyle factors—physical activity: In general, Filipinos do not engage in a lot of physical activity, be it for work, travel, or leisure.
To learn more about AXA Philippines’ products and services, visit www.axa.com.ph or www.facebook.com/AXA.Philippines. You may also call their customer hotline (02) 5815-AXA (292) or (02) 3231-AXA (292).
