Healthcare in New York refers to allhealth care available in the state ofNew York.
The US health system does not provide health care to the country's entire population.[1] Instead, most citizens are covered by a combination of private insurance and various federal and state programs.[2] Health insurance was most commonly acquired through a group plan tied to an employer.[3]
Essential health benefits (EHBs) are required for non-grandfathered individual and small group plans, meant to reflect benefits typically included in largeemployer-sponsored plans, but are not state-mandated for fully-insured large employer plans and do not apply to self-insuredERISA (often large employer) plans.[4][5] Since a majority of New Yorkers are enrolled in self-insured ERISA plans, EHBs cover a small minority of New Yorkers.[citation needed] There are no minimum coverage standards fordental plans, and routine adult dental services are not considered EHBs.[6][7] New York has enacted additional mandates that exceed federal EHB requirements, for exampleTimothy's Law requires that all fully-insured plans provide comparable coverage for mental health services as they do for physical health services to ensure mental health parity, including forsubstance use disorders.[8][9] Self-insuredERISA plans are exempt from state insurance mandates due to federal preemption but are subject to federal requirements like theMental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.[10]
NY State of Health is thehealth insurance marketplace that manages eligibility and enrollment forMedicaid applicants and selects the benchmark plan for EHBs.[11][12][13][14] New York has transitioned toMedicaid managed care away from thefee-for-service model, and most beneficiaries enroll in "mainstream" Medicaid managed care plans.[15][16][17] The Medicaid behavioral health system has also transitioned to Medicaid managed care.[18]
The Essential Plan offers essential health benefits for non-Medicaid-eligible residents with up to 250% offederal poverty level incomes with minimal or $0 monthly premiums and nominal or $0copays.[19][20] It is the state implementation of theAffordable Care Act Basic Health Program. Its benefits include (but are not limited to) dental, vision, inpatient and outpatient hospital care, prescription drugs, and free preventive care like routine exams and screenings.[19]
TheCenters for Disease Control and Prevention describes the public health infrastructure as three components:workforce capacity and competency: the recruitment, continuing education, and retention of health professionals;organizational capacity: the consortium of public health agencies and laboratories, working with private and nonprofit organizations; andinformation and data systems: the up-to-date guidelines, recommendations and health alerts, and the information and systems that monitor disease and enable efficient communication.[21]
New York State relies on a county-based system for delivery of public health services.[23] TheNew York State Department of Health promotes the prevention and control of disease, environmental health, healthy lifestyles, and emergency preparedness and response; supervises local health boards; oversees reporting and vital records; conducts surveillance of hospitals; does research at theWadsworth Center; and administers several other health insurance programs and institutions.[23] 58 local health departments offer core services including assessing community health, disease control and prevention, family health, and health education; 37 localities provide environmental health services, while the other 21 rely on the state's Department of Health.[23]
At the local level, public health workers are found not only in local health agencies but also in private and nonprofit organizations concerned with the public's health.[21] The most common professional disciplines are physicians, nurses, environmental specialists, laboratorians, health educators, disease investigators, outreach workers, and managers, as well as otherallied health professions.[21] Nurses represented 22% of the localities' workforce (and 42% offull-time equivalent workers in rural localities), scientific/investigative staff represented 22%–27% of the workforce, support staff represented 28%, education/outreach staff represented 10%, and physicians represented 1%.[23]
Ageneral hospital is a standard acute-care hospital with inpatient beds and24/7 physician coverage.[24]
Apsychiatric hospital is explicitly excluded from the definition of a hospital.[25] As morepsychiatric emergencies are being pushed into emergency departments, many patients are "boarded" (held after a decision to admit/transfer) for hours to days.[26]Comprehensive psychiatric emergency programs (CPEPs) are meant to provide a single entry point for psychiatric emergencies, including crisis intervention in an emergency room setting, mobile crisis outreach, crisis residence beds, extended observation beds (up to 72 hours), and triage/referral.[27][28]
The American Hospital Directory lists 261 active hospitals in New York State in 2022. Two hundred and ten of these hospitals have staffed-beds with a total of 64,515 beds. The largest number of hospitals are in New York City.[29] The January 1, 2022 listing by the New York Health Department of general hospitals covered by theNew York Health Care Reform Act show 165 hospitals 63 closed hospitals, and 51 hospitals that had been merged with other hospitals.[30] The oldest hospital in New York State and also oldest hospital in the United States is theBellevue Hospital in Manhattan, established in 1736. The hospital with the largest number of staffed beds is theNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan with 2,678 beds in its hospital complex.
In the continuum ofsubstance use disorder treatment programs,ASAM-aligned levels of care include:[31]
Anoutpatient program provides the baseline outpatient services, e.g. counseling and case management.[32]Outpatient rehabilitation services are designed to assist with more chronic conditions and are typically scheduled three to five days per week for at least two hours per day.[33]Opioid treatment programs are specialized outpatient services that administer and monitor addiction medications like methadone or buprenorphine under strict medical protocols.[34]
Residential services are24/7 services in a residential setting.[35]Stabilization services are structured, medically supported, short-term residential services to achieve medical/psychosocial stabilization.[35]Rehabilitation services are structured, longer-term residential services for individuals with functional impairments needing habilitative supports.[35]Reintegration services are focused on supporting return to community living, often in less structured environments.[35]
Anadult care facility (ACF) is aresidential care facility providing non-medical, long-term residential services to adults who are substantially unable to live independently.[36][37][38] ACFs are legally prohibited from retaining residents who need ongoing medical or nursing care.[39] ACFs are mostly funded throughSupplemental Security Income (SSI) andstate supplementary payments (SSP).[40] They are regulated underArticle 7 of theSocial Services Law andTitle 18 (Social Services) of theNYCRR.
Anadult home is a type of ACF that provides non-medical, long-term residential care—including room, board, personal care, and supervision—to five or more adults who are not related to the operator.[36][37] Adult homes are regulated by theDepartment of Health.[41] Atransitional adult home, sometimes referred to as animpacted adult home, is an adult home with a capacity of at least 80 beds where at least 25% of residents have aserious mental illness (SMI).[42][43] Anassisted living residence (ALR) is a licensure category created in 2004 to standardize the use of the term "assisted living" and establish consumer protections.[44] Anassisted living program (ALP), established earlier underMedicaid waivers, enable ACF residents to receive Medicaid-funded home care services.[45] Facilities with at least 55% ALP beds are excluded fromJustice Center oversight, much likenursing homes, but are otherwise little different from regular adult homes.[46][47] Many facilities operate both ALRs and ALPs concurrently.
Afamily type home is a type of ACF that provides non-medical, long-term residential care to four or fewer adults.[48] Family-type homes are regulated by theOffice of Children and Family Services.[41]
Aresidential health care facility (RHCF) is anursing home.[49] RHCFs areresidential care facilities providing medical, long-term residential services to adults who are substantially unable to live independently, with clinical-level staffing and oversight. RHCFs are mostly funded throughMedicaid.[50]
Licensedpharmacists with a certificate of administration, and certified pharmacy interns under certified pharmacist supervision, can administer vaccines underphysician or nurse practitioner prescriptions or standing orders.[51][52][53][54]Nurse practitioners can issue prescriptions or standing orders to pharmacists, and standing orders toregistered nurses to execute.[55] Certified pharmacists may immunize adults against influenza, pneumococcal, zoster, hepatitis A/B, HPV, MMR, varicella, COVID-19, meningococcal, tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis, and additionalACIP-recommended immunizations authorized by the commissioner, and may immunize minors (ages 2–17) only against influenza.[53] In September 2025, the governor issued anexecutive order temporarily authorizing pharmacists to prescribe and administer COVID-19 vaccines, and physicians or nurse practitioners to prescribe and issue standing orders, for patients aged 3 and older.[56]
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TheNew York State Education Department coordinatesprofessional licensing for health professions. ItsState Board for Medicine advises theBoard of Regents on licensing, practice standards, and professional conduct for physicians and physician assistants.[57] TheState Board for Nursing advises on licensing, professional practice, education standards, and conduct forlicensed practical nurses,registered professional nurses,nurse practitioners, andclinical nurse specialists.[58]
New York fundsgraduate medical education (GME) through theDepartment of Health with hospital rate add-ons,HCRA-based GME and professional education pool supplemental payments, and administering programs like Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program (ECRIP) and Doctors Across New York (DANY).[59][60][61][62] New York accounted for nearly half of the nation's total state Medicaid GME spending—$1.82 billion of the total $3.87 billion in 2012—and more than 10 times any other state.[63]
The Statewide Health Information Network for New York (SHIN-NY, pronounced "shiny") is the statehealth information exchange that allows healthcare providers to access and share patient data, and includes severalregional health information organizations such asHixny.
New York City is the largest city in the United States and offers all available health care services.[64]
Buffalo is the second largest city in the State of New York.
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