Is It Medicaid? MetroPlus, EmblemHealth, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Molina and the Essential Plan

The two plans New Yorkers ask about most have their own pages: Is Healthfirst Medicaid? and Is Fidelis Care Medicaid?. This page covers the rest.

Which plan names are Medicaid, and which are not?

The first table lists one row per company. “Medicaid product” is the name you see on the card when the plan is Medicaid; the last column lists the same company’s products that are not Medicaid.

Phone numbers are the Medicaid member services numbers the state Health Department prints in its 2024 plan profiles and Consumer Guide. A HARP is a Health and Recovery Plan: a Medicaid plan with added behavioral health services. What a HARP is.

Is MetroPlus Medicaid?

MetroPlus is not Medicaid; it is the health plan owned by NYC Health + Hospitals, the city’s public hospital system, and its largest product is Medicaid managed care. In the state’s 2024 plan profiles MetroPlus had 468,586 Medicaid managed care members, down 9% from 2023, plus a separate HIV special needs plan with 4,477 members.

The same MetroPlus card can also mean the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, a marketplace plan or a Medicare plan. Its MetroPlus Advantage and UltraCare plans are Medicare plans for people who also have Medicaid. Since April 1, 2023, MetroPlus Medicaid and HARP members get prescriptions through NYRx, the state’s Medicaid pharmacy program, not through MetroPlus. EmblemHealth and MetroPlus compared · NYRx.

Is EmblemHealth Medicaid?

EmblemHealth sells Medicaid under the name EmblemHealth Enhanced Care, issued by HIP (EmblemHealth). EmblemHealth lists a $0 premium, $0 deductible and $0 copays for visits, with prescription copays of $1 generic and $3 brand-name through NYRx, and no copays for members under 21. It serves the five boroughs, Long Island and Westchester. In 2024 HIP had 143,957 Medicaid managed care members, per the state.

Most EmblemHealth cards in the city are not Medicaid. GHI and HIP employer plans for city workers and union members, marketplace plans and Medicare Advantage carry the same brand. EmblemHealth’s current-member line for Medicaid is 855-283-2146, weekdays 8am to 6pm, and its renewal help line is 888-432-8026.

Is the Essential Plan Medicaid?

No. The Essential Plan is New York’s Basic Health Program for adults 19 to 64 who do not qualify for Medicaid, with income below 200% of the federal poverty level. Before July 1, 2026 it reached 250%; the state ended that tier after federal budget changes, and about 450,000 people stopped qualifying, and most were expected to move to marketplace plans. Roughly 1.3 million New Yorkers below 200% kept the Essential Plan, according to the state Health Department.

The confusion is natural: the Essential Plan is $0 for most enrollees, it is year-round, and the same companies run it. The difference that matters day to day is the rulebook: income limits, renewal letters and the program you move to when your income changes all follow the Essential Plan, not Medicaid. Essential Plan vs Medicaid · What ended on July 1, 2026.

Is UnitedHealthcare Community Plan Medicaid?

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan is the name UnitedHealthcare uses for its government-program plans in New York, and its core product there is Medicaid managed care. UnitedHealthcare says the plan is for New York residents who meet income or disability requirements and that enrollment is open all year. Wellness4Me is its HARP for Medicaid members 21 and older.

Not every Community Plan card is Medicaid. The same brand sells the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus and dual special needs plans for people with both Medicare and Medicaid. In 2024 the Medicaid plan had 294,723 members; Member Services is 1-800-493-4647, TTY 711.

Is Molina Medicaid? What happened to Affinity?

Affinity Health Plan’s New York business now runs under the name Affinity by Molina Healthcare, and the state lists it as Molina Healthcare. NYC Health + Hospitals’ insurance page lists its products as Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan 1 to 4 and Affinity Enriched Health (HARP). In 2024 Molina had 262,607 Medicaid managed care members, down 17%.

If you still have an Affinity card, call the number on the back. A card with the old name does not by itself mean your coverage ended or changed program.

How do I tell which program I am in?

What to say on the phone:

“Which exact plan am I enrolled in: Medicaid Managed Care, a HARP, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus or a marketplace plan? And who do I call to renew it?”

To switch Medicaid plans, call NY Medicaid CHOICE at 1-800-505-5678. Medicaid, the Essential Plan and Child Health Plus are open year-round; you do not need to wait for open enrollment. All seven NYC Medicaid plans compared.