Two observational studies have found that NYC Care, NYC Health + Hospitals’ program for the uninsured, has been successful across a range of factors including enrollment, utilization of services, chronic disease management, and implementation.
NYC Care provides comprehensive and low or no-cost healthcare services through NYC Health + Hospitals for New Yorkers who cannot afford or are ineligible for health insurance. NYC Care provides a membership card, 24/7 customer service, access to comprehensive and affordable healthcare services, like primary care, mental health services, and sexual and reproductive healthcare, low-cost medications, and member materials in multiple languages – regardless of your immigration status or ability to pay. It has grown to over 145,000 active members and has provided over one million primary care appointments for its members.
The studies appeared in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) and the Journal of Public Health Management & Practice (JPHMP).
NYC Care’s patient-centered approach includes simplifying steps to affordable care access, building trust with hard-to-reach populations through public awareness campaigns and partnerships with grassroots community-based organizations, and prioritizing health services accessibility, resulting in a patient experience similar to that of Medicaid enrollees.
The study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) leveraged statistical analysis to compare NYC Care patients to Medicaid patients and found that, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, NYC Care members had a higher rate of primary care usage, similar emergency department usage, and fewer hospitalizations. The study in JGIM also highlighted healthcare service utilization among NYC Care members, finding that 83,003 members had completed on average 2.4 primary care visits and 3.9 specialty care visits. 50.7% of enrollees with diabetes had a hemoglobin A1c less than 7.0%, and 75.2% of enrollees with hypertension had blood pressure less than or equal to 140/90 mmHg., chronic disease control metrics comparable to Medicaid enrollees. Together, the studies show how in lieu of increased health insurance access, municipalities can use the NYC Care-like healthcare access programs to improve the care and health of uninsured persons.
“NYC Care embodies New York City’s commitment to treating healthcare as a human right. For its 145,000 members, NYC Care has not only unlocked access to primary care, but this critical research shows that NYC Care members have been able to control chronic diseases and even avoid hospitalizations,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Population Health Ted Long, M.D., M.H.S., in a statement. “Further, this research shows that other municipalities could create similarly impactful programs, which would move a step toward treating healthcare as a human right for all Americans.”
The studies are co-authored by NYC Care Executive Director Jonathan Jiménez, M.D., M.P.H., and NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Population Health Ted Long, M.D., M.H.S., along with leadership from NYC Health + Hospitals and researchers from the University of Pennsylvania.
