About Us

The Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA) is a division of New York City’s Human Resources Administration/Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS).

HRA/DSS serves more than 3 million New Yorkers in need through diverse programs and services that include essential work and family supports such as public health insurance (Medicaid, Family Health Plus), food stamps, child support, child care, and home care for seniors and the disabled.

Through OCHIA, HRA/DSS also works to expand health insurance access for all New Yorkers. For the past ten years the Office has collaborated with other City and State agencies and private sector partners to promote affordable health insurance through targeted outreach and critical analysis. OCHIA coordinates City-wide partnerships to ensure that New Yorkers eligible for public health insurance programs are enrolled in them. The Office conducts outreach and education forums with chambers of commerce, local development corporations and other business and community organizations to improve access to affordable private health insurance options for the City’s small businesses, sole proprietors and working individuals. OCHIA also engages in policy initiatives that complement and support its outreach and enrollment efforts. Click here to find out more about OCHIA.

The NYC Health Insurance Link

The NYC Health Insurance Link (NYC HI Link) was created to help New York City residents and small business owners find health insurance. New Yorkers can compare the costs and benefits of selected health plans, explore strategies to make coverage more affordable, and learn some “basics” about health insurance, such as definitions of the words insurers use and facts about consumer protections. NYC HI Link is the first of its kind in New York - an on-line, unbiased resource, developed from a consumer perspective, providing detailed information about the costs and benefits of specific plans available in New York City in a way that allows consumers to better understand, and compare, different plans.

The website has been designed to address the fluidity that defines today’s complex health insurance market. It responds to the realities many face as they transition from employer-sponsored insurance to individual-based plans or from single to family coverage. It can help employers find ways to better afford health insurance coverage for employees and, in some cases, help individuals find ways to pair public and private health insurance resources.

NYC Health Insurance Link was developed by HRA's Office of Citywide Health Insurance Access (OCHIA) and Management Information Systems (MIS).

Acknowledgments

Support for the development of NYC HI Link was provided by the New York State Health Foundation. The website’s information on available health insurance plans for small businesses is obtained from HealthConnect Systems, an internet provider of web-based health plan information for the health insurance industry. The information on available plans for individuals is obtained from a database developed by OCHIA.

We would like to acknowledge the collaborative support of the New York State Insurance Department and the following organizations: Aetna, Brooklyn HealthWorks, Easy Choice Health Plan of NY (Easy Choice NY), EmblemHealth, Empire, Fractured Atlas, Freelancers Union, GHI, HIP, Healthfirst, HealthPass, LIA Health Alliance and Oxford.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, we encourage you to email us at nychealthinsurancelink@hra.nyc.gov.