Manhattan (New York County): D-SNPs, IB-Dual, MAP, and default enrollment letters

County on forms: New York County
Medicaid run by: NYC HRA, citywide
Say on the HIICAP line: “Manhattan”

In short

Manhattan is New York County on Medicare and Medicaid records, which is the single most common source of confusion on forms in the borough. A person in Washington Heights, Harlem, or the Lower East Side who is asked for a county should answer “New York,” not “Manhattan.” The five-borough integrated dual plans on the state’s 2026 chart all include New York County, so most letters Manhattan residents receive are offering a plan that covers the whole borough.

Manhattan has a dense mix of dual-eligible residents: long-time public housing tenants, older immigrants in Chinatown and Washington Heights, and people under 65 on Medicare through disability. The default enrollment process treats all of them the same way: a Medicaid managed care or HARP member who is about to get Medicare gets a notice at least 60 days before the Medicare start date.

This page is educational. It cannot tell you whether a plan is right for you, and it does not enroll anyone in anything.

How the help channels work in Manhattan

Medicaid for Manhattan residents is administered by the NYC Human Resources Administration (HRA), the same as the other boroughs. HRA’s main HIICAP office and its Medicaid offices are both in lower Manhattan, but the phone channel is the same citywide HRA Medicaid Helpline.

NYC Aging’s HIICAP unit is headquartered at 2 Lafayette Street in lower Manhattan and counselors are available weekdays by appointment. Call Aging Connect and ask for HIICAP, or email the HIICAP unit at the address on nyc.gov/aging. NYC Aging’s citywide listing also shows Manhattan community sites at the Chinese-American Planning Council on Eldridge Street, a Friday-afternoon library counseling program at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library on Fifth Avenue (online appointments), and a members-only site on West 66th Street.

New York Medicaid Choice remains the official contact for anything about your Medicaid managed care plan, opting out of default enrollment, or Managed Long Term Care and Medicaid Advantage Plus. Their statewide number is the same in Manhattan as anywhere else in the state.

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 Manhattan

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 “Manhattan.”

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.

In-person HIICAP counseling sites in Manhattan

NYC Aging publishes a citywide list of community sites where HIICAP counselors meet people. These are the Manhattan entries as listed on September 10, 2026. All are by appointment. Call the site or NYC Aging Connect (212-244-6469) before going; sites and hours change.

NYC Aging HIICAP Unit (main office)
2 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10007
Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
By appointment; email hiicap@aging.nyc.gov
212-244-6469 (ask for HIICAP)
Chinese-American Planning Council
165 Eldridge Street, New York, NY 10002
Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
By appointment
212-431-7800
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (Thomas Yoseloff Business Center)
455 Fifth Avenue, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10016
Fri, 1:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.
Schedule online only via the NYPL appointments page
212-340-0863
Lincoln House Outreach
303 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023
Mon, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
By appointment; members only
212-875-8958

Neighborhood guides in Manhattan

Each neighborhood page adds local ZIP orientation, the closest in-person counseling site, a letter tip for that area, and the mistakes people there tend to make.

Default enrollment letter tip for Manhattan

Many Manhattan residents see doctors at academic medical centers or hospital-affiliated clinics. Before the effective date on a default enrollment letter, check the D-SNP’s Medicare provider directory for those specific practices, and ask whether referrals or prior authorization rules change. If the letter is the long-term-services version (pointing to a MAP plan), also ask how your existing home care hours carry over.

Full walkthrough: the default enrollment letter decoder.

Letter checklist (any borough)

Effective date: the day your Medicare and the D-SNP would start (usually the first of a month).
Opt-out deadline: generally the day before the effective date. Confirm it on the letter.
Which version: standard (IB-Dual, you stay in your Medicaid managed care or HARP plan) or long-term-services (points to a Medicaid Advantage Plus plan).
Plan names: your current Medicaid plan and the aligned Medicare D-SNP, from the same company.
How to opt out: call the plan number on the letter or send a written request; New York Medicaid Choice can connect you.
What you lose by opting out: in most cases your Medicaid managed care plan, with Medicaid continuing as fee-for-service.

Common mistakes in Manhattan

Writing “Manhattan” as the county on an application. The county is New York.
Assuming a Manhattan doctor is in-network because the hospital’s name appears somewhere in the plan’s materials. Check the specific practice and the specific plan.
Skipping HIICAP because the letter “already explains everything.” A counselor can compare the D-SNP against Original Medicare plus a drug plan for your prescriptions in minutes, and it costs nothing.

Orientation: hospitals people in Manhattan often 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 / Bellevue · public hospital on First Avenue
NYC Health + Hospitals / Harlem · public hospital on Lenox Avenue
NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia · Washington Heights
Mount Sinai Hospital · East Harlem / Upper East Side border

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 Manhattan. 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.

Get dual-plan help Call HIICAP 1-800-701-0501