NYC Health and Hospitals Expands Its MetroPlusHealth Health Plan to Public Employees in Effort to Reach 1 Million Members by 2020
Oct 07, 2015
New York City Health and Hospitals (HHC) President and CEO Dr. Ram Raju today announced that its MetroPlusHealth Gold no cost, no deductible commercial health plan is now available to all employees of New York City plus other local entities such as CUNY, the MTA and Port Authority. The premium plan had previously only been available to the public health system’s employees. The agreement between HHC and the New York City Department of Labor Relations to add MetroPlusHealth Gold as a health insurance option marks an important step in Dr. Raju’s plan to reach one million MetroPlusHealth members by the year 2020.
MetroPlusHealth Gold – with no co-pays for most in-network services that includes HHC and private doctors and hospital providers in 27,000 locations — has long been available to HHC employees. Now, nearly 800,000 additional New York City employees, non-Medicare eligible retirees, their spouses or qualified domestic partners and eligible dependents will be able to choose this option starting this month during “Open Enrollment,” the only time of year that public employees can change their health insurance provider without a qualifying event such as a birth or marriage.
“Over the past 30 years, MetroPlusHealth – the plan of choice for nearly half a million New Yorkers – has built a reputation for affordable quality healthcare. I am delighted to extend this new option to public employees in our effort to enroll one million New Yorkers by 2020,” Dr. Raju said. “The success of MetroPlusHealth is helping our essential health system to reinvest in the services we provide. It is allowing us to remain true to our mission of caring for all New Yorkers and keeping communities healthy.”
“Government and other public employees seeking a low-cost health insurance plan with premium service, a large network and top quality rankings now have another health insurance option,” said MetroPlusHealth Chief Operating Officer Seth Diamond. “Even employees who haven’t changed health insurance in years should look into the alternative we offer and our consistent record of keeping customers healthy and happy.”
“I’ve been a MetroPlusHealth Gold member since 1991. I like the one stop shopping and the follow-up that the plan provides,” said Willette Slocumb, a Coordinating Manager at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx and a member of CWA Local 1180. “It’s like they spearhead your health care. They tell you everything you need to do in terms of preventive care. Last year I had forgotten to get a mammogram and they made sure I did. Everything is in plain, simple language that you can understand.”
MetroPlusHealth Health Plan has nearly half a million customers and its commercial plans are among the most popular and most affordable on the state’s online health exchange. MetroPlusHealth has also ranked as the top managed care plan in New York City in quality and patient satisfaction for seven of the last ten years in the consumer’s guide issued annually by the New York State Department of Health.
MetroPlusHealth representatives will participate in benefit fairs that agencies are hosting through the month of October. An advertising campaign will also accompany the new MetroPlusHealth Gold expansion, focusing on government-themed publications and websites.
MetroPlusHealth Gold benefits include:
- A comprehensive benefits package for children and adults, including well-child care, primary care, maternity care, specialty services, hospital care, emergency care, mental health services, lab and radiology services.
- An extensive provider and hospital network with over 13,000 physicians in over 27,000 locations including private offices, neighborhood family care sites and at hospitals. The MetroPlusHealth network includes over 20 hospitals in New York City.
- A focus on prevention and care management with programs designed to pro-actively address the specific needs of New Yorkers with diabetes, asthma and HIV; pregnant women; and mental health or complex medical or transplant issues.
- No-cost, no deductible, option available in the basic plan for employees and their dependents.
- No co-pays for lab, X-rays and specialists, and limited co-pays for most in-network services.
- No paperwork – There are no bills or claims forms for in-network services.
- Member support available 24/7 in numerous languages and dialects.
For more information employees can visit http://www.MetroPlusHealth.org/gold or contact their benefits manager, or call MetroPlusHealth Gold customer service at 877-475-3795, Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Contact:
Ian Michaels,(212) 788-3339
About MetroPlusHealth
Over nearly 30 years, MetroPlusHealth Health Plan has built a reputation for providing affordable, quality care to residents of Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens. A health services plan certified under Section 4403-a of the New York Public Health Law, MetroPlusHealth is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal health care organization in the country, MetroPlusHealth provides managed care to nearly half a million eligible New Yorkers. In addition to Medicaid Managed Care, MetroPlusHealth offers Child Health Plus, several Medicare Advantage Plans, a Special Needs Plan (SNP) for people with HIV and their families, a Long-Term Managed Care Plan, and over 40 NY State of Health Marketplace products with a total enrollment of 445,000. The company’s robust network of primary care doctors and specialists includes many independent community providers. Plan staff is drawn from the communities that MetroPlusHealth serves and speaks more than seventy languages. MetroPlusHealth has consistently been one of the top-ranked health plans in New York City for almost 10 years.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
The NYC Health + Hospitals health care system is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system, the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country, and one of the New York area’s largest providers of government-sponsored health insurance, MetroPlusHealth Health Plan, the plan of choice for nearly half a million New Yorkers. The NYC Health + Hospitals health care system serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. The system provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. NYC Health + Hospitals/Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. The NYC Health + Hospitals system was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org or find us on https://www.facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or twitter.com/NYCHealthSystem.