How New York gets care.
An independent consumer guide to health care access in New York City: coverage, costs, patient rights, and where to get care.
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.
Sections
Coverage
Every health coverage option available to New Yorkers — Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, Medicare, marketplace plans, NYC Care — and who qualifies for which.
71 pagesCosts
What health care actually costs in New York City, what a hospital is legally allowed to charge you, and what to do when the bill arrives.
50 pagesRights
What you're entitled to in a New York health care setting — an interpreter, your records, an appeal, and protections that don't depend on your immigration status.
16 pagesNeighborhoods
Where care is available in specific parts of New York City, in which languages, and under which plans.
42 pagesGlossary of health coverage and billing terms
Deductible, coinsurance, MAGI, chargemaster, prior authorization — the vocabulary of American health coverage, explained with New York specifics.
60 pagesThe essentials
For Navigators, Clinics and Community Organizations
Free tools for people who help New Yorkers get covered: an embeddable eligibility navigator, income tables you may reproduce, pages that print as handouts, and a direct line to correct an error.
NYC Health + Hospitals Bills: Free Care to 200%, Sliding Scale to 400%
The city's public hospital system writes off the bill entirely below 200% of the poverty level and discounts on a sliding scale to 400%. Who to ask, what to bring, and how it differs from NYC Care.
Which Health Program Are You Likely Eligible For in New York?
Answer five questions and see which New York health coverage programs are open to you — Medicaid, the Essential Plan, Child Health Plus, NYC Care, marketplace plans. Runs in your browser.
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.
New York Medical Debt Laws: Every Protection, With the Date It Took Effect
Free and capped hospital care to 400% FPL, no lawsuits under 400%, no wage garnishment, home liens or credit reporting: New York medical debt law, with dates.
What Urgent Care Costs Without Insurance, and the Sign That Changes It
Two storefronts on the same block bill completely differently: one is an urgent care center, the other is a hospital emergency department annex. How to tell before you walk in.
Latest
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.