1

It is not the country that decides if all the hospitals will settle the claim direct with the insurer, it is up to the individual hospital you use and the insurer you use. If you use a major hospital such as St Likes in Manila or Chong Hua in Cebu City, my expectation is that you will not have to pay in advance if you use a well known insurer.

If you are out in the provinces at a small hospital, they may not even accept a credit card. Expect payment to be in cash and expect to pay in advance, regardless of the insurer.

By the way, the best price I got for insurance last time I travelled was through this thorntree website. To arrange insurance, just click on the Insurance button at the top of the page

2

Thanks so much for the info sibbick1, appreciated.
The problems we had before were at a well known hospital in Bali, infact, one of the best ex-pat hospitals in the country. Our insurance was from a well known Canadian company and they wouldn't take it. Was a big bill to swallow over there and eventually cut our trip short. They, the hosiptal, recommended that we find an insurance company that is recognized by the country that we are travelling to. They basically said that our country was too far away for them to trust it. If we had been from Australia, wouldn't have been a problem. I am trying to not run into this problem again I guess.
Totally understand about the rural but appreciate you adding the comment.
Have you had to use the insurance from this website before?
Thanks!

3

No. I didn't have to use it.

Last time I made a travel insurance claim was 1995.

4

I have no idea if Philippine hospitals accept insurance. If you don't have the cash to pay, they won't treat you.

5

if you have no idea that Philippines hospistals accept insurance, then why do you go on to register an opinion?

somebody I know had a bad bike accident and a lot of medical treatment that eventually amounted to a bill of well over a million pesos ($2,500) and his insurance covered it all. He didn't have to front up a single peso. But as far as I understand it, he'd didn't have the kind of travel insurance I have though, but some kind of occupational travel insurance that covered him overseas.

6

So...you don't know what kind of insurance they accept either, do you?

7

I do at least know that contrary to what you just said, you don't always have to front up money in the Philippines to get medical treatment, provided you are properly insured. As it happens the only person I know that did need emergency treatment did not have the kind of travel insurance I have, but that doesn't mean that my insurer would not be recognised by the same Cebu city hospital as his was.