Publications > Bringing Information Technology Innovation to New York's Public Health Insurance Programs

Some 800,000 of New York City's 1.8 million uninsured residents are eligible for public health insurance programs but unenrolled, largely due to complicated and cumbersome application, enrollment, and renewal procedures that exact huge costs in dollars and time. This issue brief reviews other states' successes with electronic applications, assesses relevant policy reforms, previews an exciting new IT platform being implemented by the city, and discusses how this new opportunity -- and several promising simplification strategies -- can drive comprehensive changes to make public health insurance more effective and efficient.

The report draws on an independent evaluation of the application process in New York prepared by The Lewin Group for the United Hospital Fund, Electronic Applications Present Opportunities to Improve Enrollment into New York's Public Health Insurance Programs.