The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved a request for MetroPlus Health Plan to offer managed care coverage to Medicare beneficiaries in four New York City boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, The Bronx and Queens. MetroPlus is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC), the largest public health system in the United States.

“By offering Medicare benefits, we are extending health insurance coverage to an even wider audience of eligible New Yorkers,“ said Arnold Saperstein, MD, President and CEO of MetroPlus. “Expanding coverage to Medicare beneficiaries meets the mission of HHC and MetroPlus to promote the health and welfare of all New Yorkers and builds on our history of community involvement and our understanding of New York City’s diverse populations.”

The new Medicare benefits expand the broad coverage already offered by MetroPlus, which was rated the number one Medicaid Managed Care health plan in New York by the New York State Health Department in both 2005 and 2006. The company offers government-sponsored health insurance including Medicaid, Family Health Plus and Child Health Plus. MetroPlus also offers Partnership in Care, an HIV Special Needs Plan (SNP), the largest SNP of its kind in the U.S.

MetroPlus will now offer several new products including MetroPlus Medicare Advantage, for those who are eligible for Medicare and receive full or partial Medicaid benefits; MetroPlus Medicare Advantage Select, for those eligible for Medicare and for full Medicaid benefits and MetroPlus Medicare Advantage Partnership in Care, for people with HIV/AIDS eligible for Medicare with or without Medicaid.

MetroPlus Health Plan, Inc., which began operations in 1985, is a prepaid health services plan certified under Section 4403-a of the New York Public Health Law.

New Yorkers can visit www.metroplus.org for more information.