Rappler Talk: Modernizing medical insurance in the Philippines

I'm as we're for us joining us today is Diego who is a year almost the cofounder horsepower dot pH a startup that focuses on providing HR benefits to self-employed individuals as well as small and medium on surprises thank you for joining us today you as her for having me here so why did you choose to decide to found horsepower pH what problem are you song who yes that's true arm Michael funders joint George answering and Hannah are George came from a company called freelancer dot com he was a calm continental manager the time and Hannah built the company from 16,000 members to $1 million in just three years and Emma technical recruiter and most mclean's are coming from the US building a small tech team here it's like SM and our challenge is removing people from corporations to be entrepreneur or something Lloyd.

Because they're stripped from health care benefits especially so the challenge there's three it's really great for us so we decided to put horsepower together in one platform for HR benefit so what kind of benefits this course RPH offer self-employed individuals as well small and medium enterprises we have several benefits like bills payment online H our medical and on medical dental and health care products we have Online Payroll we have tax advice we have on we r exams as well in on the platform and most the ball we have biar credited documentation when just push you get a cold easy so let's take a closer look at the health care insurance prior to course RPH what would people do to get there medical needs met it was difficult for them are most filipinos until now is still on out-of-pocket in terms of health care industry army to say our when the jump off from corporate or from their jobs their ship from this kind to benefit so what they do in case inside to that themself the knock on the door so beach more companies which normally charge them a very high rate because they don't have built this large volume in terms of corporation so arm there's still struggling and challenge how to obey love this affordable health care packages what exactly is the danger of paying for my medical needs out-of-pocket when.

I have them it's a great danger as your arm we took that économiques the skills of average filipinos learning about 700 today for the family of 46 normally that's that's between Philippines and on with that kind all for income it's just basic for food cool clothing and shelter and barely for lifestyle uneven health care so the I the danger is when something in in a family get sick that strip them off from their I miss savings you seen this actually occur yes as rice specially if arm from people especially who who are in multi-level marketing business or Assamese where they are live on a day-to-day kinda check income it's okay if they're earning but what it what if one day decide are big get sick so it becomes a challenge for them because there's they don't have a regular pay are mostly Lancers well rely on ARM sees no are income so it becomes are challenge for them to get protected in terms of health benefits so what do they do when they have this huge health care bills and they can't afford to pay them all arm that's where the problem happens either deliver promissory note after the hospital if every the hospital would agree for them to go out and if not be tend to borrow money and it creates a lot of stress and family are you planning to move the for Philippines away from this out-of-pocket health care system yes we attempt to do that as row with horsepower on to the brief arm history about each most it started in on in the mid-eighties here in the Philippines and at the time the medical medical protection but are practitioners and hospitals are operated to that kinda system wherein each mo companies would on negotiate for a lower rate and even into now I it still struck they're still struggling to do with that but with horsepower we provide simple way of up appealing medical insurance and H more benefits in just one pic in platform with horsepower that pH so can you explain how horsepower PA works in a little more detail so it's a platform were portal where people can be love these different it's our product that's right so we designed course part at pH in terms of that type entrepreneur you are on the type of income level as well so it's like a product here reflexive bend site.

I dislike are lowell are low rates as ice as low as: 99 999 a year to a more comprehensive arm services so depending on your type a business the number of people who have been your company order type of budget you can advocate for teacher benefit it's all there and as we kept it simple because in just one click it's all registered online so what challenges stand in your way making this platform widely used among Filipino all the challenges just arm educating filipinos are not just are its just making upbringing them online so it for them is still a chance here in the Philippines to trust I internet businesses to 10 sack online so it is just the main challenge their and the way they wouldn't maneuvered the platform we make its easiest possible we don't stop thinking zine ways things make it pop easy for them so the challenge for the industry experience that choosing the plan for them so how are you addressing this challenge getting filipinos online and making them feel comfortable to transact the HR needs through your platform arm what we do is we are and initial part of the Website if you go to the website we asked them to join so that they have a view on the different plants then they choose they click and the I'll they we require them with the information and if they're an entrepreneur is to me then we they push their payment and the keepers he automatically become a member so.

I understand the Philippines is not unique there are many other countries in the world that have out-of-pocket health care system do you actually want to import this model to other countries like those that's true as raw on the Philippines and is a developing country and arm unlike Singapore and Hong Kong with the government takes care of them other countries like Indonesia India and Pakistan share the same health care system that we have so with our partners we have spoke them ready and we plan to launch in its countries as well how soon you plan on land launching international right time line for this one is within two years what other pieces and advice do you have for entrepreneurs trying to solve big problems like you are doing with health care insurance in the Philippines my advice for them is like when you try to solve a problem you make sure it's going to be significant height 66 significant problem no matter how small they are bits gonna change lives and keep the process simple that's where the errors of startups happens when they start to solve problems which make it's very complicated instead of keeping it simple and Om pushing to being a startup as rhyme sure that the struggle being sort of it's just like challenges you so much to your passion a lot of people prior to you coming along didn't think to try to change their health care industry what other problems do you think Filipino should try to address now that are are probably being overlooked their lot on just just imagine the traffic that we have now I think arm example that recently have been confronted with the problem the way traffic eased up in Paul gates we don't have a nap yet that the easy access payment system in toll gates although we have that's the past but it's not it's not working so there's no technology that would allow you to do that easier and in reference to arm healthcare arm we acknowledge presence up those trying to solve the problem teams have health care because we may be starting this in industry but we need people similar with our passion in terms of health care to push since industry further thank you for joining stadia thank you as a rock I've been speaking with Diego Jose Rommel's the cofounder of course powered up pH a startup that focuses on providing HR benefits to self-employed individuals as well as small and medium entreprises I'm as we're frost and thank you for joining wrapping talk