City Expands Health Care Program For Uninsured To All 5 Boroughs

NEW YORK CITY — Uninsured New York City residents in all five boroughs now can enroll in a city program that gives them their own doctor and other health services.

NYC Care expanded into Manhattan and Queens on Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced. He said the expansion is four months ahead of schedule.

New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status of ability to pay, can enroll in the program and receive a card that helps them connect with guaranteed health care, he said.

“We give them the ability to have a primary care doctor and a medical home and pay only that which they could pay regardless of documentation status, regardless of income,” de Blasio said. “That's what NYC Care is all about.”

About 30,000 New Yorkers have enrolled in the program since its launch last year, officials said. They have since used it for 85,000 provider visits and to fill 30,000 prescriptions, according to a release.

The services are through the city’s public Health + Hospitals and are meant to fill the gaps for New Yorkers who either can’t obtain or afford health insurance.

Marielle Kress, the program’s executive director, recounted the story of a NYC Care recipient who had received a kidney transplant in his home country. The patient was not only able to get follow up health care in the Bronx, but also life-saving COVID-19 care at Bellevue Hospital, she said.

“The human impact that I’ve seen is so great,” she said.

New NYC Care members will get a primary care appointment within two weeks.

People can enroll in the program by calling 646-NYC-CARE or visit here for more information.