New York Individual and Family Health Insurance

Locate providers of reasonably priced New York individual health insurance plans throughout the state, including the metropolitan areas of New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, East New York, Syracuse, Albany, West Albany, Cheektowaga, and New Rochelle.

The State of Affairs of New York’s Health Insurance

New York spent $126 billion in 2004 on healthcare alone.  The largest majority of funds were allocated towards hospital, physician, and professional costs.  New York health care rises at an average rate of 6%, making securing affordable health insurance plans absolutely imperative.

The Empire State is called home by 19 million residents.  30% of New Yorkers receive Medicaid and/or Medicare coverage, while 52% or about 10 million obtain small business health insurance coverage through their employers.  For New York health insurance accessed through employers, residents pay an average premium of $967 for individual health insurance and $2,657 for family health insurance plans. 

The costs of healthcare are rising. The premiums from these employer-based New York health insurance plans may also rise. But the healthcare needs of New Yorkers cannot be ignored, and self employed health insurance plans are always needed. To find more affordable New York health insurance plans, it would be advantageous to look into the various plans of individual markets. Use InsureMonkey as your health insurance agent to help your quest for affordable health insurance in New York.

New York Health Insurance Providers

New York’s High Risk Pool

In New York, there is no high-risk pool program that will cater to the healthcare needs of residents who have pre-existing medical conditions. This is an unfortunate situation for a state that has always been viewed as progressive.

New Yorkers, however, may look into their HIPAA eligibility and find health plans from insurance providers that will accept applicants with pre-existing medical conditions. With the campaign towards expanding the country’s healthcare program, there is also a possibility that the state government will eventually have a high-risk pool program.

To check updates on health insurance coverage in the state of New York, visit the State’s Insurance Department at http://www.ins.state.ny.us/.

New York’s Uninsured

According to the Urban Institute and the Kaiser Commission’s 2006-2007 survey results, the total uninsured population in New York equates to more than 2.5 million residents. About 16% of the uninsured population, or approximately 425,000, are uninsured children.

The bleak situation is worsened by the fact that the hospitals in New York charge the uninsured fees that are twice or thrice their baseline medical costs. The Citizens Action of New York reported that uninsured patients are charged at an average of 2.3 times the actual cost of hospital care! This underlines the need to reduce the number of New York’s uninsured.

Reducing the number of uninsured should be a cooperative effort of all citizens. The key to finding affordable health insurance plans is accurate information, which we hope to provide through InsureMonkey.

New York SCHIP

The Child Health Plus is New York’s version of SCHIP. It is a low-cost health insurance plan for uninsured children younger than 19 years old. These children belong to families with income brackets that are above the eligibility requirements of Medicaid.

However, if the child is enrolled with Child Health Plus, he/she can enjoy medical services without shouldering co-pay. Children whose families have incomes less than 1.6 times the poverty level will not pay monthly premiums. Those with higher incomes will pay premiums between $9 and $40 per month.

To apply, families can directly contact their New York insurance provider. To get more information, dial 1-800-698-4543 or visit the website at http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/chplus/. Application forms can also be downloaded from the website.

Medicaid in New York

The Medicaid Program in New York is for the state’s residents who cannot afford the costs for their medical care. The recipients of Medicaid coverage in New York are the following:

•    People who have high medical bills
•    People who are receiving the SSI or Supplemental Security Income
•    People who have disabilities
•    People who have met the age, resource, and income requirements

Through the Cancer Services Program Partnerships, Medicaid is also available to men and women who are undergoing treatment for some forms of cancer. Women who need treatment for breast and/or cervical cancer and men who needed treatment for colorectal cancer may be eligible for Medicaid if they also meet income and residency requirements.

Here is a quick breakdown of New York Medicaid’s income eligibility requirements:

•    Children
      o    Infants Ages 0-1:  $35,200 or 200% of the Federal Poverty Level as of January 2009
      o    Children Ages 1-5:  $23,408 or 133% of the Federal Poverty Level as of January 2009
      o    Children Ages 6-19:  $17,600 or 100% of the Federal Poverty Level as of January 2009
•    Parents
      o    Non-Working:  $26,400 or 150% of the Federal Poverty Level as of January 2009
      o    Working:  $26,400 or 150% of the Federal Poverty Level as of January 2009
•    Women
      o    Pregnant women: $35,200 or 200% of the Federal Poverty Level as of January 2009
      o    Women with breast and/or cervical cancer/pre-cancer: 250% of the Federal Poverty Level as of January 2009

To apply for Medicaid coverage in the State of New York, the applicant must visit in person, write, or call the local county office of the Department of Social Services. If living within New York City, residents may contact the Human Resources Administration by dialing 718-557-1399 or 1-877-472-8411.

(Facts throughout this page provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation at www.statehealthfacts.org and by The New Health Insurance Solution at www.tnhis.com.  Commentary provided by InsureMonkey.)

State Resources

Department of Health
Website: http://www.health.state.ny.us/
Phone: 1-800-698-45437

Insurance Department
Website: http://www.ins.state.ny.us/chealth.htm
Phone: 1-800-342-3736

Governor's Office
Website: http://www.ny.gov/governor/
Phone:518-474-8390