It's Your Money NYC: Hold Your Government Accountable

Funding for '09

$89,958,000

Employees

1,703

Who funds this program?

City 685,000 less

than (1%)

State

44,545,000 (50%)

Federal

44,728,000 (50%)

How is the money spent?

Salaries

71,383,000 (79%)

Contractual Services

811,000 (1%)

Other Services

17,585,000 (20%)

What your money funds:

This funding goes towards the Medical Assistance Program (MAP) administered by HRA/DSS. New York State offers free and low-cost public health insurance programs, including Medicaid, for low-income New Yorkers. These plans provide medical care through a fee-for-service or a managed care plan.

MAP determines and maintains eligibility, based upon income and/or resource levels, and administers programs, for many available health insurance programs and their related services. The bulk of them are listed as follows:

1. Medicaid: Provides free health insurance coverage to adults ages 19 and over and their families and children through managed care or through fee-for-service providers. People are eligible based on family size, income level and citizenship status. Care is provided through managed care providers or by a fee for service. As of January 2009 there were approximately 2.6 million Medicaid enrollees in NYC. Medicaid covers regular checkups, hospital services, emergency room care, medicine, specialist care, nursing home and home health care, prenatal care, dental care, smoking cessation agents and medical supplies,.
2. Family Health Plus: Provides free health insurance coverage to adults ages 19 through 64 who do not have health insurance, either on their own or through their employers. Medical services are received from managed care providers. Otherwise eligible consumers with income or resources beyond the allowable MA levels may still be eligible for Family Health Plus. Family Health Plus services are a little more restrictive than Medicaid; additionally, co-payments are required with a visit to a health provider.
3. Child Health Plus: Provides free or low cost health insurance to children under age 19, living in NYC. As of October 2008, there were 142,902 enrollees in this program. This program was previously known as Child Medicaid or CHPA. Anyone is potentially eligible if they cannot secure insurance through their parents. Based on various income levels of parents, the families will have to pay nothing to approximately $133 a month per child. As of January 2009, there were approximately 150,000 children enrolled in this program in NYC.
4. Medicare Savings Program: Pays Medicare premium, deductible and co-insurance costs. It was previously known as the Medicaid Buy-in Program. It helps in assisting individuals who are in receipt of Medicare coverage, resulting from age or disability, by paying their monthly Medicare premiums and in some instances, their co-payments and deductibles. There are three different levels of coverage: QMB, SLIMB and QI-1. Requirements overall include that an applicant must be living in NYC, be in receipt of or eligible for Medicare Part A, and meet certain income and resource levels tied to household size.
5. Excess Income/Resource: Allows applicants with income or resources in excess of the Medicaid levels to become eligible for Medicaid once they incur medical bills that equal or exceed the difference.
6. Prenatal Care Assistance Program (PCAP): A comprehensive prenatal care program that offers complete pregnancy care and other health services to women and teens who live in New York State and meet income guidelines. Health insurance is available for pregnant women regardless of their immigration status. Under PCAP, pregnant women receive prenatal health services, such as lab tests, HIV tests, nutrition screenings, and other services related to their pregnancy and for at least two months after delivery. Babies receive health care services for at least one year after birth.

Thee Office of Citywide Healthcare Access (OCHIA) works to expand access to health insurance for all New Yorkers. OCHIA partners with public and private groups to ensure that eligible uninsured New Yorkers enroll in public health insurance and to expand access to affordable private health insurance for New York City's small businesses, sole proprietors, and working individuals. This office is actually funded under the Administrative budget of HRA, but relates to this function and is included here.