- County on forms
- Kings County (Brooklyn)
- Medicaid run by
- NYC HRA, citywide
- ZIP codes (approx.)
- 11226, 11210, 11203
ZIP codes are orientation only. Verify yours with USPS.
Who this page helps
Flatbush stretches from the prewar apartment buildings along Ocean Avenue and Flatbush Avenue to the attached homes of East Flatbush around Kings County Hospital. Many older residents here have Medicaid managed care and are reaching Medicare age, when their plan may mail a notice placing them in its Medicare D-SNP unless they opt out. Others have had both programs for years and are only now hearing the terms IB-Dual and MAP.
This page is for them, and for the adult children, church friends, and home attendants who help with the paperwork. It covers what the letter is, what changes if you let it go through, what changes if you opt out, and how to reach a free counselor. It does not enroll anyone.
What “local” means for Medicare and Medicaid in Flatbush
Flatbush is in Kings County, and its Medicaid is handled citywide by the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA). The ZIPs usually attached to the area are 11226 (central Flatbush around Church and Flatbush Avenues), 11210 (the Brooklyn College and Midwood side), and 11203 (East Flatbush); all are approximate, and edge blocks may carry a neighbor’s ZIP. On a form that asks for county, write “Kings.”
All of the integrated dual plans on the state’s 2026 IB-Dual chart for New York City include Kings County; the open question is the network. East Flatbush has two hospitals side by side on Clarkson Avenue, NYC Health + Hospitals / Kings County and SUNY Downstate, with Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center nearby on Rutland Road. Whether the hospital you use and the clinic where you see your doctor appear in a specific D-SNP’s directory is the first thing to verify.
The B and Q at Church Avenue and the 2 and 5 at Flatbush Avenue–Brooklyn College put most of Flatbush within one ride of an in-person appointment.
Flatbush has large Haitian Creole-, Spanish-, and Caribbean English-speaking communities, plus an Orthodox Jewish community on the Midwood side; interpreters are available on every line listed here.
How to get free help from Flatbush
- Call HIICAP at 1-800-701-0501, answer “Kings” when the recording asks for your county, and say you have a default enrollment letter. Have the letter and your medication list next to the phone.
- The in-person NYC Aging HIICAP site nearest the southern end of Flatbush is Homecrest Community Services, 1413 Avenue T, Brooklyn 11229, 718-376-4036, Tuesday through Friday 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m., by appointment, near the Q train at Avenue U. Book through NYC Aging Connect at 212-244-6469 and ask for HIICAP.
- For opting out, or for any question about the Medicaid managed care or HARP plan, call New York Medicaid Choice at 1-800-505-5678 (TTY 1-888-329-1541). Ask what Medicaid will look like the month after Medicare starts under each choice.
- If Medicaid itself is the problem (a renewal, a coverage gap, a wrong address), call the HRA Medicaid Helpline at 1-888-692-6116. For long-term services and supports, NY Connects at 1-800-342-9871 is the statewide door.
What to ask, in one sentence each
- HIICAP“I have Medicare and Medicaid and got a default enrollment letter. Can you compare the D-SNP with Original Medicare plus a drug plan for my prescriptions and doctors?”
- New York Medicaid Choice“If I opt out of the D-SNP, what happens to my Medicaid managed care plan and my home care? How do I opt out, and by when?”
- Your plan (number on the letter)“Are my doctors and my pharmacy in the D-SNP’s Medicare network, not just the Medicaid network?”
- HRA Medicaid Helpline“Is my Medicaid active and is my address correct?” (Only if your case, not your plan, is the problem.)
Free public help from Brooklyn
These lines are run by New York State, New York City, or Medicare. None of them sells plans. When the HIICAP recording asks for your county, say “Brooklyn.”
- HIICAP (free Medicare counseling)Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.1-800-701-0501
- NYC Aging ConnectAsk for HIICAP; in-person appointments. Also 212-AGING-NYC212-244-6469
- New York Medicaid ChoiceMedicaid plan enrollment and opt-out help. TTY 1-888-329-1541. Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; Sat, 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.1-800-505-5678
- NY Medicaid Choice long-term care lineMAP, MLTC, PACE1-888-401-6582
- NY ConnectsLong-term services and supports, any age1-800-342-9871
- NYC HRA Medicaid HelplineYour Medicaid case, renewals, address1-888-692-6116
- MedicareTTY 1-877-486-2048. 24 hours a day1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
Numbers checked against official sources on September 10, 2026. Hours and phone menus change; the official sites are aging.ny.gov, nyc.gov/aging, nymedicaidchoice.com, nyconnects.ny.gov, and nyc.gov/hra.
Default enrollment letter tip for Flatbush
A letter that lands in a Flatbush apartment building often sits in a stack with plan marketing, so open every envelope from your Medicaid plan. The notice comes from the plan at least 60 days before your Medicare start date and gives the day the D-SNP would begin and how to opt out, generally up to the day before that date (confirm on your letter).
Many East Flatbush households already have a relative receiving home care through Medicaid. If so, check whether the notice is the long-term-services version: people who need 120 days or more of community long-term services are steered toward a Medicaid Advantage Plus (MAP) plan, while people who do not are placed in IB-Dual, keeping their Medicaid plan with the aligned D-SNP. The NY Medicaid Choice long-term care line, 1-888-401-6582, can explain which applies.
Not sure which letter you have? Read the default enrollment letter decoder or the blog post what to do in the first 7 days.
Common mistakes in Flatbush
- Treating NYC Health + Hospitals / Kings County on Clarkson Avenue as a county Medicaid office. It is a public hospital named for the county; Flatbush Medicaid cases are handled by HRA.
- Assuming an East Flatbush address (11203) and a central Flatbush address (11226) are treated differently by plans. Service area is by county, and both are Kings.
- Waiting for the adult child who handles the paperwork to visit before opening the plan’s envelope. The 60-day window counts down whether or not anyone reads the letter.
Orientation: places people in Flatbush mention
Orientation only. Listing a hospital or center here is not a recommendation and says nothing about which plans it accepts. Always check the plan’s own provider directory.
- NYC Health + Hospitals / Kings County · Clarkson Avenue, East Flatbush; public hospital next to SUNY Downstate
- Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center · Rutland Road, East Flatbush
- Church Avenue station · B, Q, 2, 5 trains for in-person counseling elsewhere in Brooklyn
Want your next steps in writing?
Answer five short questions about your coverage and your letter. We will email you a plain-language summary of what to ask and who to call from Flatbush. Optional callback. This tool does not enroll you in any plan, does not decide eligibility, and is not from the government. Free HIICAP counseling is always available first.
Prefer to talk with a person right now? HIICAP is free at 1-800-701-0501.