A guide to getting health care in New York City · EN / ES
How New York gets care.
Independent guide to health care in New York City: Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Medicare, hospital bills, financial aid and patient rights, in plain English.
See what I qualify for I have a hospital bill
Every figure from a primary source, with the date we checked it.
The dates that decide this season
- Oct 15 – Dec 7, 2026 Medicare annual enrollment
- Nov 1, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027 Marketplace open enrollment for 2027
- Dec 15, 2026 Last day to enroll for a January 1 start
- Year-round Medicaid, the Essential Plan and Child Health Plus have no season no deadline
Start with your situation
Most health writing tells you what a condition is. Very little of it tells you what a New Yorker actually needs to know: which plan you still qualify for after your coverage changed, what a hospital is legally allowed to charge you, and what to do on a Tuesday afternoon when you have no coverage at all.
That’s the gap we work in. We don’t give medical advice — that’s your clinician’s job. We explain the system, the money, and your rights, and we show our sources.
Questions people ask
What is NYC Med News?
An independent guide to health care access in New York City: coverage, costs, patient rights and where to get care. We explain the system and the money and show our sources; we do not give medical advice, and no one pays to be listed.
Is NYC Med News affiliated with NYC Health + Hospitals or NYCMED?
No. We are not affiliated with the City of New York, NYC Health + Hospitals, the New York State Department of Health, or any hospital, insurer or practice. NYCMED, the city’s platform for health professionals, is a different site. About us.
Where can I get free help applying for health insurance in NYC?
Call NY State of Health at 1-855-355-5777: certified navigators are free and earn no commission. Medicaid, the Essential Plan ($0 a month) and Child Health Plus take applications in any month. If insurance is out of reach, NYC Care is at 1-646-692-2273. The ten-minute check.
Tools that do the math for you
Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is stored.
Short videos, about 20 seconds
Research and data
Essential Plan Insurers in New York City for 2027: Quality Ratings, Complaints and What the Network Data Shows
The seven Essential Plan insurers rated in New York City, compared on the state's star ratings, member experience, enrollment and DFS complaint data, with a CSV.
Preventable Hospital Visits by NYC ZIP Code: Where the ER Stands In for a Doctor
Tremont's 10457 had 47.01 potentially preventable ER visits per 100 residents in 2023, near 11 times Battery Park City. State data for 173 NYC ZIP codes.
Medicare Advantage in NYC 2027: Who Leads Each Borough and How Plans Rate
71.25% of Bronx Medicare enrollees are in Advantage plans. Healthfirst leads four boroughs; its main contract fell to 3.5 stars for 2027. CMS data by borough.
New York's Health Coverage Cliffs, 2026: The Exact Dollar Where Each Program Ends
One dollar over 200% of the poverty level now ends the $0 Essential Plan. Every income edge for New York health coverage in 2026, with a calculator and a CSV.
By neighborhood, in all five boroughs
The essentials
What Happens If You Don't Pay a Medical Bill in New York: The Timeline, Step by Step
In New York an unpaid hospital bill can't go to collections for 180 days, can't legally go on your credit report or lead to garnished wages. The full timeline.
For Navigators, Clinics and Community Organizations
Free tools for navigators, clinics and community organizations: an embeddable eligibility navigator, reusable income tables and guides that print as handouts.
NYC Health + Hospitals Bills: Free Care to 200%, Sliding Scale to 400%
NYC Health + Hospitals financial assistance: uninsured bills are written off up to 200% of the poverty level, then discounted on a sliding scale to 400%.
Which Health Program Are You Likely Eligible For in New York?
Which New York health program are you likely eligible for? Five questions check Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus and NYC Care. Nothing is sent.
2026 Income Limits for Every New York Health Program, by Household Size
New York's 2026 income limits for Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, NYC Care and hospital financial assistance, in one table by household size.
Preventable Hospital Visits by NYC ZIP Code: Where the ER Stands In for a Doctor
Tremont's 10457 had 47.01 potentially preventable ER visits per 100 residents in 2023, near 11 times Battery Park City. State data for 173 NYC ZIP codes.
Sections
Health Coverage in New York
Every coverage option in New York: Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, Medicare, marketplace plans and NYC Care, with 2026 income limits.
117 pagesHealth Care Costs in New York City
What care costs in New York City, what a hospital may legally charge you, how to read a bill, and where financial assistance and debt protections apply.
65 pagesPatient Rights in New York
Your rights in New York health care: a free interpreter, your records, appeals and fair hearings, emergency care and protections that ignore immigration status.
19 pagesGetting Care by Neighborhood in New York City
Forty-two NYC neighborhood guides: which clinics and hospitals are nearby, which languages they work in, and the coverage question each area runs into most.
42 pagesGlossary of health coverage and billing terms
Deductible, coinsurance, MAGI, balance billing, prior authorization: 60 health insurance terms defined in plain English, with what changes in New York.
60 pagesLatest
How we work
Every figure on this site comes from a primary source: New York State, the city, or the text of the law, with the date we checked it. No one pays to appear in our lists, and we don't give medical advice.
