1CoopHealth 2026: The ₱4,350/Year Cooperative HMO Explained
Quick Answer: 1CoopHealth is the retail brand of the Cooperative Health Management Federation (CHMF), the Philippines' first duly licensed cooperative HMO — regulated by the Insurance Commission since 2018 and governed under the Cooperative Development Authority. The catch: it's not sold retail to the public. 1CoopHealth is only available to members of partner cooperatives (non-members would need an Honorary Membership endorsement and board approval). For those who qualify, published prices start at just ₱4,350/year for Ward coverage — among the cheapest HMO ward plans in the market — with pre-existing conditions covered after only 1 year, faster than most competitors.
If you've come across "1CoopHealth" or "CHMF" while comparing cheap HMO options and are wondering why you can't just sign up on a website, this guide explains what it is, what it costs, and the one requirement that determines whether you can actually get it.
Table of Contents
- What is 1CoopHealth?
- Is 1CoopHealth legit?
- Who can actually get 1CoopHealth?
- How much does 1CoopHealth cost?
- What does 1CoopHealth cover?
- Pre-existing conditions: the standout feature
- How do you apply?
- Is joining a coop worth it just for this HMO?
- 1CoopHealth vs the big HMOs
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
What is 1CoopHealth?
1CoopHealth is the health plan brand offered by the Cooperative Health Management Federation (CHMF), an umbrella federation of Philippine cooperatives that was the first cooperative organization in the country to become a duly licensed HMO, regulated by the Insurance Commission since 2018. Instead of one company selling directly to consumers, CHMF works through partner cooperatives, which in turn offer "1CoopHealth" as a benefit to their own members.
Because of this structure, there's no single, canonical retail website. Plans are distributed and priced through each partner cooperative's own channel — one example is HPPEMC's member portal, which publishes a full 1CoopHealth price table. Plans and prices can vary somewhat by cooperative, so treat published figures as representative rather than universal, and confirm the exact numbers with your own coop before enrolling.
Is 1CoopHealth legit?
Yes. CHMF appears on the Insurance Commission's roster of licensed HMOs (Certificate of Authority, current as of the November 2025 roster) and is additionally governed by the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) because of its cooperative structure. There's no CDO or conservatorship history on record for CHMF. Being dual-regulated by both the IC and the CDA is unusual — it's the reason 1CoopHealth exists as a distinct category rather than just another private HMO.
Who can actually get 1CoopHealth?
This is the part most people miss: 1CoopHealth is only available to members of partner cooperatives. It is not a retail product you can buy on your own the way you'd buy Maxicare PRIMA or a MediCard plan.
Eligibility breaks down like this:
- Regular or Associate members of a partner cooperative — automatically eligible.
- Honorary members — also eligible, but non-members need to be endorsed for honorary membership and approved by the cooperative's board first, which adds a step (and isn't guaranteed) for anyone not already in a coop.
- Age range: principal members 18–75 years old.
- Dependents: 12–75 years old.
The 18–75 principal age range is notably wide — most commercial HMOs cap new enrollment well before 75, which makes 1CoopHealth unusually accessible to older applicants, provided they belong to (or can join) a partner cooperative.
How much does 1CoopHealth cost?
Based on the published price table from HPPEMC's 1CoopHealth portal, here are the annual premiums by plan and age band:
| Plan | Ages 18–65 | Ages 66–70 | Ages 71–75 | Coverage per illness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward | ₱4,350 | ₱8,700 | ₱13,050 | ₱60,000 |
| Ward + HIB | ₱4,850 | ₱9,200 | ₱13,550 | ₱60,000 |
| Semi-Private | ₱10,450 | ₱20,900 | ₱31,350 | ₱70,000 |
| Semi-Private + HIB | ₱10,950 | ₱21,400 | ₱31,850 | ₱70,000 |
| Private | ₱17,420 | ₱34,840 | ₱52,260 | ₱100,000 |
| Private + HIB | ₱17,920 | ₱35,340 | ₱52,760 | ₱100,000 |
At ₱4,350/year, the base Ward plan is among the cheapest published ward-level HMO coverage anywhere in the Philippine market. HIB (Hospital Income Benefit) adds a fixed daily cash payout during confinement for a modest premium bump — see the coverage section below for what it actually pays out.
Because plans are distributed cooperative by cooperative, these exact figures are sourced from one partner portal and may not be identical everywhere 1CoopHealth is offered. Confirm current pricing with your specific cooperative before enrolling.
What does 1CoopHealth cover?
Each plan carries a maximum benefit limit (MBL) per illness, ranging from ₱60,000 (Ward tiers) up to ₱100,000 (Private tiers). A few mechanics apply across all plans:
- Hospital Income Benefit (HIB): ₱200 per day, up to 30 days, for members on the HIB-inclusive plans.
- Medicine subsidy: ₱4,500.
- Ambulance benefit: ₱2,500.
- Related illnesses share one MBL — if a confinement is caused by, or is a complication of, an earlier covered illness, both draw from the same benefit limit rather than getting separate caps.
- Accredited providers required for cashless treatment. Reimbursement is generally only available if there's no accredited provider in your area, or in documented emergencies.
These are modest limits compared to premium HMOs — appropriate for a low-cost ward-level plan, but worth knowing upfront if you're comparing against a corporate plan with six-figure-plus MBLs.
Pre-existing conditions: the standout feature
1CoopHealth's most genuinely distinctive feature is its pre-existing condition (PEC) waiting period: PEC is covered after just 1 year of continuous membership.
For context, most commercial HMOs in the Philippines set PEC waiting periods between 2 and 4 years, and some corporate plans exclude certain conditions permanently. A 1-year PEC waiting period is on the short end of what's available anywhere in the market — it means someone with a manageable pre-existing condition can reasonably plan around getting it covered within their first year, rather than waiting several years or being permanently excluded.
That said, this benefit only matters if you can actually enroll — which circles back to the cooperative-membership requirement above.
How do you apply?
Since 1CoopHealth isn't sold retail, there's no direct online checkout the way there is with some commercial HMOs. The practical path is:
- Check if you're already a member of a cooperative that partners with CHMF (savings and credit cooperatives, employee cooperatives, and similar groups are common partners).
- Ask your cooperative whether it offers 1CoopHealth and get its current price sheet — pricing can differ from the table above.
- If you're not a coop member, ask about Honorary Membership — this requires board approval and isn't automatic.
- Enroll through your cooperative's own process, not a general public signup form.
Because there's no single official retail site, be cautious of unrelated pages claiming to sell "1CoopHealth" directly to the public — legitimate access runs through a cooperative.
Is joining a coop worth it just for this HMO?
Honestly, it depends on why you'd be joining. If you're already eligible for membership in a savings, credit, or employee cooperative for reasons unrelated to health insurance — proximity, workplace, existing savings goals — then 1CoopHealth is a genuinely strong add-on: ₱4,350/year ward coverage with a 1-year PEC waiting period is hard to match elsewhere at that price.
If the only reason you'd consider joining a cooperative is to access this HMO, weigh it against simpler options. Joining a cooperative usually means share capital contributions, membership fees, and some ongoing participation — costs and commitments beyond the HMO premium itself. For someone who just wants the cheapest available HMO with no other strings, our cheapest HMO in the Philippines roundup covers directly-purchasable options worth comparing first. Remember too that any HMO, including 1CoopHealth, works on top of — not instead of — your PhilHealth coverage.
1CoopHealth vs the big HMOs
1CoopHealth isn't really competing head-to-head with Maxicare, MediCard, or Intellicare — it's a different category, built for cooperative members rather than the general public. Where it wins: price (₱4,350/year ward coverage is far below typical commercial ward plans) and PEC waiting period (1 year vs the 2–4 years typical elsewhere). Where it loses: access (you need coop membership), MBLs (₱60,000–₱100,000 per illness, modest next to premium corporate plans), and network reach (fragmented by cooperative rather than one unified provider list).
If you want a full side-by-side of what's actually available to individuals without a membership requirement, see our best HMO in the Philippines guide, or check the complete list of IC-licensed HMOs to see where 1CoopHealth fits among all regulated providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can anyone sign up for 1CoopHealth?
No. 1CoopHealth is only available to Regular or Associate members of a partner cooperative, or to non-members who get an Honorary Membership endorsement approved by the cooperative's board.
How much does 1CoopHealth cost?
Based on published pricing from one partner cooperative's portal, plans range from ₱4,350/year (Ward, ages 18–65) up to ₱52,760/year (Private + HIB, ages 71–75). Exact pricing can vary by cooperative, so confirm with yours.
Is 1CoopHealth a legitimate, licensed HMO?
Yes. CHMF is the first cooperative organization in the Philippines to be licensed as an HMO by the Insurance Commission (regulated since 2018), and it's also governed by the Cooperative Development Authority. There's no CDO or conservatorship history on record.
What's the age limit for 1CoopHealth?
Principal members can enroll from 18 to 75 years old, and dependents from 12 to 75 — a wider senior-friendly range than most commercial HMOs.
Does 1CoopHealth cover pre-existing conditions?
Yes, after just 1 year of continuous membership — shorter than the typical 2- to 4-year waiting period at most commercial HMOs.
What's the coverage limit per illness?
It depends on the plan: ₱60,000 for Ward tiers, ₱70,000 for Semi-Private tiers, and ₱100,000 for Private tiers. Related illnesses share the same limit.
How do I find out if my cooperative offers 1CoopHealth?
Ask your cooperative directly — 1CoopHealth is distributed through partner cooperatives, not sold on one central retail website, so availability and pricing depend on which coop you belong to.
Is 1CoopHealth cheaper than Maxicare or PhilCare?
For ward-level coverage, yes — ₱4,350/year is well below typical published ward-tier prices from major commercial HMOs. But 1CoopHealth is only accessible through cooperative membership, which the commercial options don't require.
Conclusion
1CoopHealth is a genuinely unusual product in the Philippine HMO market: the country's only cooperative-based HMO, with ward coverage as low as ₱4,350/year and a pre-existing condition waiting period shorter than almost anyone else's. The tradeoff is access — it's built for cooperative members, not the general retail public, and prices can shift depending on which cooperative you belong to.
If you're already part of a cooperative, it's worth asking whether 1CoopHealth is on offer. If you're shopping HMOs with no cooperative ties, compare it against our cheapest HMO in the Philippines list, browse the best HMOs in the Philippines, or see the full list of IC-licensed HMOs to weigh every regulated option side by side.