Articles from Healthfirst

Today, Healthfirst, one of New York’s highest quality health insurers, has received the prestigious Case Management Practice Improvement Award from the Case Management Society of America Foundation. The award recognizes Healthfirst’s Behavioral Health Case Management program which was developed to address the needs of members with substance use disorder as they return to their communities and continue their recovery following inpatient stays. The program has driven a sustained 14% reduction in readmission rates at both 30- and 90-days post-discharge – ensuring that highest risk members receive the compassionate, coordinated care they need to stay out of the hospital and in recovery.

As part of Healthfirst’s commitment to our local communities, the company is sponsoring the Westchester Soccer Club (WSC), the first professional soccer team in Westchester County. WSC launched in March 2025 as part of USL League One and was founded on a vision to unite and uplift the area through soccer. Healthfirst will support a wide range of initiatives to strengthen WSC’s engagement with the surrounding community, including local youth programs and wellness initiatives.

Healthfirst, one of New York’s highest-quality not-for-profit health insurers, has opened a new and expanded community office to support the needs of the diverse community in Flushing, Queens. Building on Healthfirst’s presence in Queens for more than 15 years, this new office represents Healthfirst’s ongoing commitment to providing access to high-quality healthcare and helping all New Yorkers thrive.

Healthfirst, one of New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurers, announced today that it has been awarded a 4.5-Star rating (out of 5 stars) for its largest Medicare Advantage (MA) Plan contract from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for the 2025 Star Program Year and is the only Medicare Advantage HMO serving New York City and surrounding areas to earn 4.5 Stars. This recognition highlights Healthfirst’s ongoing commitment to providing access to high-quality care to nearly two million members in New York state.

Healthfirst and One Hundred Black Men (OHBM) of New York are continuing their support for leadership development and economic empowerment. For the second year, Healthfirst has awarded Education & Leadership Program Scholarships to college-bound students who participate in the OHBM Junior 100 Mentorship Program. Launched in 2023, the scholarship program covers college tuition and related expenses. The program aims to equip young people with the skills and opportunities they need to pursue careers that promote health equity.

Healthfirst, one of New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurance companies, and the Coalition of Asian-American Independent Practice Association (CAIPA) gathered with community and elected leaders to celebrate the success of their recertification awareness campaign, which allowed 92% of Healthfirst members to maintain continuous access to their healthcare coverage. By comparison, New York State’s average recertification rate across all health insurance plans was 82%.

On Wednesday, July 24, the New York Police Department (NYPD) and New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurance plan, Healthfirst, hosted Bronx Harmony Day at Oscar Comras Memorial Park. For the past eleven years Healthfirst has been a proud—and major—sponsor of Harmony Day, which was started nearly 30 years ago to give young people in the Bronx a chance to interact and form relationships with police officers. In addition to taking part in a variety of fun activities, 4,000 children enrolled in local camp programs and church groups also learned about the role of physical activity in supporting a healthy lifestyle.

Healthfirst, New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurance plan, hosted a Father’s Day celebration at their Newburgh Community Office with the goal of increasing awareness of men’s health issues. In the U.S., the third Sunday each June is Father’s Day, when we celebrate the dads and father figures in our lives. Congress has dubbed the week leading up to Father’s Day as Men’s Health Week—a time to bring awareness to preventable health issues and early detection for men and boys. Healthfirst, together with community partners Newburgh Armory Unity Center, Cornerstone Family Healthcare, and Team Newburgh Community Coalition, welcomed neighbors into the Healthfirst community office, where guests received complimentary haircut vouchers from local barbershop Lion’s Den, refreshments, and free educational resources about men’s health.

TimeBank by Healthfirst Foundation, a free program that facilitates the exchange of time, skills and services among volunteer participants and organizations, is unveiling their new technology platform and encouraging volunteerism as one of the best and most rewarding ways to combat social isolation. While the origins of time-based exchanges go back to the 1800s, this initiative is scalable and designed to meet the needs of community members—from young adults to seniors—throughout New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Sullivan, Orange and Rockland counties. The program today serves more than 2,500 participants and over 100 organizations.

Healthfirst PHSP, Inc., the largest not-for-profit Managed Medicaid Care Plan in New York, has again earned a top-tier ranking in overall quality and member satisfaction as measured by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) 2022 Medicaid Quality Incentive Program. Among New York State’s twelve Managed Medicaid plans, Healthfirst is one of only two plans to achieve a top-tier ranking and is the only plan in its service area to do so. The ratings are based on the plan’s performance across preventive care, behavioral health, and medication measures, as well as member satisfaction with plan quality, getting needed care, and customer service. Healthfirst earned a number one ranking for its performance on Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) measures, which reflect the quality of care provided across the delivery system.

In observance of National Family Caregivers Month this November, Healthfirst, New York’s largest not-for-profit health plan, is raising awareness about the important role that caregivers play in the lives of many New Yorkers. Running errands, providing transportation to and from a doctor’s office, or helping a loved one with most day-to-day activities are among the simple tasks that qualify someone as a caregiver. According to the New York State Department for the Aging (DFTA), New York City is home to more than 1.3 million caregivers, many of whom do not identify themselves as caregivers and therefore often do not seek support.

Healthfirst announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded a 4-Star Rating (out of 5 stars) to its largest Medicare Advantage Plan Contract for 2024 Star Ratings. These plans provide access to high quality care to over 200,000 New Yorkers. Medicare Star Ratings provide consumers with valuable information needed to compare health plans, with scores varying from a low of 1 to a high of 5.

Healthfirst and One Hundred Black Men of New York have joined forces to develop leaders, create opportunities for economic empowerment, promote social justice, and help close health equity gaps. The collaboration will help young people build skills and find career paths that let them be ambassadors for more equitable access to health education and preventive care.

Hyphen, the technology company creating connected-care, has launched its innovative Pharmacy Assistant app. The app presents community pharmacists the real-time information and insights they need to improve patient care and experience and receive quality incentives for taking action while remaining in their own system and workflow.

Healthfirst, one of New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurance companies, and TeamSnap, home to the largest community for everything youth sports, are proud to announce that they have teamed up to make youth sports more accessible and to promote the benefits of physical activity for the overall health and wellness of children. To that end, Healthfirst will sponsor 25 local youth sports leagues—including soccer, baseball, football, and basketball teams—and fund 67 youth sports scholarships.

Healthfirst has launched an integrated, omnichannel campaign offering its members personalized guidance and tools for renewing their health insurance coverage. During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, Healthfirst Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan, Medicaid Advantage Plus, Medicare Advantage Dual-Eligible Plan, and Managed Long-Term Care enrollees, along with all others covered by these important programs had their coverage automatically renewed. With the public health emergency now ended, individuals enrolled in these plans must renew their coverage by their renewal deadline, which varies from member to member.

Healthfirst yesterday celebrated the opening of its Jamaica, NY, office with community leaders, lively performances, and a photo exhibit by Nat Valentine of the Cultural Collaborative Jamaica. Located at 161-21 Jamaica Avenue, in the heart of a bustling Queens shopping district, the 4,200 square foot office is designed to support the needs of Healthfirst members and the community at large in a variety of ways—hosting health education seminars, exercise classes, and events in partnership with local community-based organizations, to name a few.

Healthfirst, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health insurers, released three new case studies that demonstrate progress toward health equity in the areas of legal assistance, food access, and care management of HIV/AIDS.

Healthfirst, New York’s largest not-for-profit health insurance companyi with more than 1.8 million members, is excited to announce the opening of its first community office location in Orange County at Crossroads Plaza, 50 NY Route 17K, Newburgh, NY.

Modern Healthcare (MH) has recognized Healthfirst President and CEO Pat Wang as one of 2022’s Top Diversity Leaders. The profiles of all the honorees and honored organizations are featured in the October 17 print issue of MH magazine and at ModernHealthcare.com/top-diversity-leaders.

Healthfirst, the largest not-for-profit health insurer in New York State,i today announced that facilities and doctorsii affiliated with Catholic Health in Nassau County will be in network for Healthfirst’s Medicare Advantage plans, effective October 1.

Healthfirst and The MediSys Health Network announced today they are using Hyphen to connect longitudinal data from claims, quality measures and electronic health records (EHRs) to identify gaps in care, making it easier for clinicians to address patient needs in real time. Hyphen is a cloud-based platform that uses Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resource (FHIR) standards to share member data directly into provider or hospital EHR systems, along with patient- and population-level analytics and predictive modeling tools.

Healthfirst, one of the largest Medicare Advantage plans in New York,i today announced it will offer its first Medicare Advantage Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plan for 2023. The plan was designed to provide Medicare beneficiaries the flexibility to receive coverage for out-of-network care or to choose the lower-cost option of receiving care from Healthfirst’s extensive network of in-network physicians and providers.

As Healthfirst—the largest not-for-profit health insurer in New York State1—embarks on its 30th year of serving New Yorkers, it will celebrate its roots in the communities and its ongoing commitment to ‘meet members where they are’ with a series of member appreciation events throughout September. The events, to be held at Healthfirst community offices across the boroughs of New York, will treat members to music, refreshments, activities, and the opportunity to attend health information seminars.

Healthfirst is excited to bring its Health & Wellness Expo back to the Bronx on Saturday, June 11, 2022 (rain or shine), at the Claremont Neighborhood Center, 489 E 169th Street.

Healthfirst, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health insurersi, and GalaxE.Solutions, a transformational technology services company, are collaborating to create new local tech job opportunities through GalaxE’s “Outsource to New York City™” program. The effort will focus locally on the creation of full-time salaried technology jobs and engage in broad outreach to recruit and train a culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse and inclusive workforce. The O2NYC program is positioned to bring hundreds of technology jobs to the city.

Healthfirst, one of the nation's first value-based health insurers, is sharing ​Healthfirst ADVANCE — its evidence-based approach to closing health equity gaps among members/patients. Based on programs Healthfirst has implemented in downstate New York for nearly 30 years, Healthfirst ADVANCE highlights a series of best practices shown to reduce issues of equity in the healthcare system.

Healthfirst, one of the largest individual Medicare Advantage HMO plans in the New York metro areai, is helping to make it easier for those over 65 years old, and for people under 65 with disabilities, to better understand the basics of Medicare Advantage plans with educational seminars; a robust, information-filled website; and new dedicated Medicare centers. There are 1.1 million adults over the age of 65 in New York Cityii who are eligible for Medicare, yet more than half the number of seniors nationally don’t understand Medicare plan choicesiii.

Healthfirst, one of the largest Medicare Advantage HMO plans in the New York metropolitan areai, today announced that it has been awarded a 4-Star Rating (out of 5 stars) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for many of its 2022 Medicare Advantage plans. Healthfirst is the only HMO servicing the New York metropolitan area to achieve 4 out of 5 stars three years in a rowii. The rating is based on the quality of, and members’ satisfaction with, healthcare services in 2020 and early 2021iii.

Healthfirst, one of the largest individual Medicare Advantage HMO plans in the New York metro areai, today announced its 2022 Medicare Advantage plans, which include over-the-counter (OTC) card allowances of up to $170 per monthii. A new OTC Plus card, available with the company’s Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs),iii can be used in more ways and in more places than typical OTC cards. It can be used for covered over-the-counter items as well as healthy foods, for Internet service, exercise equipment, activity trackers, and more based on the member’s specific health needs. The OTC Plus card is accepted at national chain pharmacies, independent pharmacies, specialty markets, and GrowNYC markets throughout the boroughs where healthy foods and produce can be purchased.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning of the possibility of a bad 2021‒2022 flu season because of lower population immunity to viruses that were less in circulation last winteri and urges people to get their seasonal flu shot as an essential part of protecting their health, their family’s health, and the health of their community.

Healthfirst, the largest not-for-profit health insureri in New York State, is committed to its mission to help its members access high-quality healthcare. As part of that effort, the company is keeping its members connected to healthcare services and providers by participating with Assurance Wireless in the federal Lifeline Programii which provides free Android™ smartphonesiii and no-cost cell phone service to those that are eligibleiv.