MetroPlus Health Plan Announces New Partnerships with NYC Gov’t Agencies to Enroll More NYers in Health Insurance

 New Collaborations with FDNY, NYC Housing Authority, Taxi and Limousine Commission Support City’s Commitment to Guarantee Health Care to All New Yorkers; Responds to Mayor’s Executive Order 40

Edited by: JV Staff

“Partnering with MetroPlus is a key component of the TLC’s ongoing outreach efforts to help connect drivers with services,” MetroPlus Health Plan last week announced new partnerships with the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), NYC Housing Authority (NYCHA) and the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) to provide New Yorkers who interact with these three critical agencies information about the City’s public option health plan and encourage them to enroll in affordable health insurance. The three large city government agencies interact with more than 700,000 New Yorkers annually. The collaboration between MetroPlus, the health insurance plan of NYC Health + Hospitals, and the city agencies supports the City’s commitment to guarantee health care for all New Yorkers and Executive Order 40 signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in January requiring city agencies to help enroll people in health insurance anywhere where New Yorkers are directly served. These partnerships with City agencies were facilitated in part by the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, which oversees implementation of the executive order.

“We are proud to work with these new City partners to increase access to affordable, quality health insurance to many more New Yorkers,” said Talya Schwartz, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of MetroPlus. “These partnerships will help us reach more than 170,000 taxi drivers, 400,000 New Yorkers who live in public housing and the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who interact with the FDNY every year.”

“Many New Yorkers who are in need of and eligible for health insurance already interact with the government on a regular basis,” said Mayor’s Public Engagement Director Omar Khan. “The Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit was chosen to oversee the implementation of Executive Order 40 because of our extensive experience in proactive outreach, and I am excited to see other City agencies adopt strategies that make the most of the City’s existing resources to help New Yorkers access the services they need.”

“Partnering with MetroPlus is a key component of the TLC’s ongoing outreach efforts to help connect drivers with services,” said Acting TLC Commissioner Bill Heinzen. “Making affordable healthcare available to our licensees – whether at one of our driver events, the MetroPlus desk at our LIC office, or at one of our authorized driver schools – protects and supports drivers and their families.”

“NYCHA is thrilled to work with MetroPlus Health Plan and our partner agencies to provide onsite social and wellness programming for our senior residents and their families at developments across the City,” said NYCHA Executive Vice President for Community Engagement and Partnerships Sideya Sherman. “Thanks to the de Blasio administration, more public housing residents will now have affordable medical coverage, allowing NYCHA families to receive the health support services they need in their community.”

“The health and safety of New Yorkers is so important to the FDNY, which is why we are proud to partner with MetroPlus and our fellow agencies to bring greater awareness about the City’s public option health plan,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro. “We hope that by sharing this health plan information with visitors at FDNY locations and those who have been transported by our ambulances, more New Yorkers will have the opportunity to obtain affordable health insurance.”

MetroPlus is partnering with the NYC TLC on several outreach and enrollment initiatives, including:

• On-site insurance enrollment at the TLC Long Island City office and TLC-authorized driver education facility at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn;
• On-site insurance enrollment and education sessions at Kingsborough Community College for the TLC driver courses; and
• Cross advertising on site and via digital and social media platforms.

MetroPlus is partnering with NYCHA on a variety of programs:

• On-site Medicare workshops plus social and wellness activities for seniors and others at 8 NYCHA locations designed to lessen social isolation, including:

¬ Bingo tournaments

¬ Senior birthday celebrations

¬ Zumba classes

¬ Health fairs

MetroPlus is partnering with FDNY on a number of enrollment efforts, including:

• On-site marketing and health insurance screenings for visitors at FDNY headquarters;
• Adding MetroPlus information on EMS Ambulance invoices to assist uninsured New Yorkers to get coverage; and
• Cross advertising on premises, as well as through digital and social media platforms.

In April, MetroPlus launched the new city agency collaborations by deploying over two-dozen insurance enrollment specialists to do on-site outreach, education, and enrollment at six NYC Department of Probation offices and 18 new Small Business Services (SBS) Workforce 1 and Business Solution Career Centers. These two government agency offices together serve nearly 55,000 New Yorkers every year.

Since April 2019, MetroPlus has enrolled nearly 2,500 new members directly through its partnerships with City agencies. Currently, membership at MetroPlus stands at nearly 519,000 New Yorkers, with close to 4,000 new enrollees added since the mayor announced Executive Order 40 in January.