Healthcare for Immigrants in NYC: Your Options Regardless of Status

NYC Health + Hospitals — the city's public system, with hospitals and clinics in all five boroughs — treats everyone regardless of status or ability to pay, full stop. NYC Care is the city's membership program for those who can't get insurance: sign up at any H+H site and you get a membership card, an assigned primary care provider, and sliding-scale fees down to zero. Federally Qualified Health Centers across the city operate the same way. Emergency rooms must treat emergencies regardless of anything, under federal law.

New York goes beyond most states: children under 19 qualify for Child Health Plus regardless of immigration status; pregnant New Yorkers qualify for Medicaid coverage regardless of status; DACA recipients and many lawfully present immigrants qualify for Essential Plan or Medicaid without the five-year waits some assume; and Emergency Medicaid covers emergency treatment for otherwise-ineligible immigrants. Recent state expansions have widened coverage for older adults as well. Enrollment counselors at H+H facilities and community organizations navigate this daily — bring whatever documents you have and let them sort eligibility.

In New York, hospitals must provide free interpretation — you never need to bring a family member to translate, and children should not be your interpreter for medical care. Say the language you need; phone or video interpreters are standard. On privacy: city law restricts NYC agencies (including H+H) from sharing information with immigration enforcement except under narrow legal compulsion, and HIPAA applies to everyone. Seeking care does not put you on a list — and the 'public charge' rule does not consider Medicaid for emergencies, children's coverage, pregnancy coverage, or NYC Care.