Makati streamlines health care, extends Yellow Card validity

The Makati City government has approved new guidelines for the Makati Health Plus Program (MHP), replacing the color-coded payment scheme with a uniform rate and extending the validity of the MHP Card, more popularly known as the Yellow Card.

The Makati Health Development Council (MHDC) said the program provides government-subsidized healthcare for Makati residents, city government workers and other qualified beneficiaries.

Its benefits include free outpatient consultations, emergency and in-patient care at the cityrun Ospital ng Makati (OsMak), free laboratory and diagnostic services at the hospital and satellite laboratories in barangay health centers, and monthly supply of free medicines.

Under the new guidelines, MHP members are no longer classified into four color-coded categories based on the family’s monthly income. Instead, a uniform rate of R500 will be charged to patients with bills exceeding R5,000, even if the amount runs up to seven digits or higher. Patients whose bills are below R5,000 will be free of charge.

In its regular meeting last June, the council unanimously approved the guidelines which include Mayor Abigail Binay’s proposal to extend the card’s validity to three years and grant lifetime membership to qualified residents.

“We want our residents, employees, senior citizens and other qualified beneficiaries to enjoy the convenience of using their Yellow Cards for a longer period of time. Extending the validity of the card to three years will allow Makatizens longer access to the city’s health care services before the next renewal period,” Binay said.

She added that granting lifetime Yellow Card membership to qualified senior citizens and city government retirees was a “welldeserved reward” for their loyalty to the city.

To qualify for lifetime membership, the applicant must be 60 to 69 years old and be able to submit a Certified True Copy of the latest Certificate of Non-Delinquency of Real Property Taxes, with the tax declaration bearing the applicant’s name.

For residents aged 70 years and above, applicants for lifetime membership must have been a Yellow Card holder for the past six years.

Retired Makati government employees, regardless of residency and Comelec registration, will also be granted lifetime membership with the Yellow Card.

The MHDC has also extended the card’s validity to three years for registered voters and actual residents of the city, city government employees and senior citizens between 60 to 69 years old. The extension also applies to regular employees as well as casual employees who have served the city for more than six years.

In the past, Yellow Cards expired before the card holder’s birthday and had to be renewed before the beneficiary can continue to avail of subsidized healthcare services at OsMak, the 26 barangay health centers and three lying-in clinics run by the city government.