Covering More Low-Income New Yorkers
New Yorkers are eligible for Medicaid if their incomes are below the program’s limits and they meet requirements related to assets, residency, and immigration status. Medicaid’s income limits range from 100 percent of the federal poverty level for childless adults—a threshold that will increase to 133 percent of the poverty level in 2014 under national health reform—to 200 percent of poverty for pregnant women and infants. (The federal poverty level for 2009 is $10,830 for an individual and $18,310 for a family of three.) Children in families whose income exceeds Medicaid limits are eligible for subsidized coverage under New York’s Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP) at family incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty level.
As of September 2009, 4.5 million New Yorkers were enrolled in Medicaid, including:
- 1.7 million children who are not disabled (not including 0.4 million enrolled in CHIP)
- 1.7 million adults who are neither elderly nor disabled
- 1.1 million individuals who are elderly, disabled, or both
Of New York's 2.6 million uninsured residents, an estimated 820,000 adults are eligible for Medicaid, and 220,000 children are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP. Some have never enrolled, and others have lost coverage despite remaining eligible. Complex application, enrollment, and renewal procedures—which do not use modern information technology effectively—are major reasons Medicaid fails to reach a significant number of eligible New Yorkers. Because the program typically enrolls the sickest and most costly subsets of those eligible for it, coverage for Medicaid-eligible New Yorkers who are currently not insured would likely result in larger increases in enrollment numbers than in spending.
Related Publications
Health Insurance Coverage in New York, 2008
Published: 2010
Newly updated and expanded with 2007-2008 data, the Fund’s annual chartbook provides an invaluable snapshot of the uninsured in New York, detailing income, employment status, age, and other demographic information. It also tracks coverage distribution among workers and low-income New Yorkers, estimates the number of uninsured New Yorkers who are eligible for public health insurance, and describes trends in coverage over time. Data presented are the most recent available from the Current Population Survey.
Reducing Paperwork to Improve Enrollment and Retention in Medicaid and CHIP
Published: 2009
This Medicaid Institute™ report examines ways to increase enrollment and retention of eligible children and adults in Medicaid and CHIP, lower administrative program costs, and improve convenience for applicants.Improving Enrollment and Retention in Medicaid and CHIP
Published: 2009
This Medicaid Institute™ report explores a series of federal administrative and legislative changes that states can seek to improve their current public health insurance programs and increase participation.
Health Insurance Coverage in New York, 2006-2007
Published: 2009
Newly updated and expanded with 2006-2007 data, the Fund's annual chartbook provides an invaluable snapshot of the uninsured in New York.
Coverage and Managed Care Enrollment Patterns among Long-Term Beneficiaries in New York's Medicaid Program
Published: 2009
This report examines the stability of Medicaid coverage and Medicaid managed care enrollment of adults and children in New York City over a four-year period.
Automated Renewal: Strategies to Maintain Coverage of Eligible Children in Medicaid and Child Health Plus
Published: 2009
This report analyzes the potential to enact continuous Medicaid coverage for children in New York State.
Streamlining Renewal in Medicaid and SCHIP
Published: 2008
This report examines lessons from eight other states regarding options to streamline the annual renewal process for beneficiaries of public health insurance.
Presentation of “Electronic Medicaid Enrollment in New York: Vision, Opportunities, and Challenges”
Published: 2008
Based on a United Hospital Fund initiative and its report from 2004 Bringing Information Technology Innovation to New York's Public Health Insurance Programs, this presentation explores the potential benefits of electronic applications for New York’s Medicaid program.
New York's Eligible but Uninsured
Published: 2008
This report focuses on the 40 percent of uninsured New Yorkers under age 65 who are already eligible for an existing public health insurance program.
- New York's Eligible but Uninsured (7758KB)
Gaps in Coverage Among the Elderly in New York
Published: 2007
While nearly all the elderly have at least one source of health insurance coverage, primarily Medicare, many are underinsured—a situation with implications for them and for the state's Medicaid program.
Related News
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United Hospital Fund Report Lays Out Approaches to Simplify Enrollment and Retention in New York's Public Insurance Programs
Release Date: October 26, 2009
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United Hospital Fund Report Offers Options to Help Public Insurance Programs Cover More People While Functioning More Effectively
Release Date: September 15, 2009
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Two United Hospital Fund Reports Address Interruptions in Medicaid Coverage
Release Date: January 06, 2009
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