2M Healthfirst members could lose coverage for major NYC hospital network this fall

Some 2 million New Yorkers insured by Healthfirst, one of the state’s largest Medicaid providers, are on the verge of losing coverage this fall for nearly a dozen hospitals in the NewYork-Presbyterian network as well as thousands of affiliated physicians — unless the two entities can agree by early November.

The insurer and hospital network have both posted notices online saying NewYork-Presbyterian medical centers and physicians at ColumbiaDoctors and Weill Cornell Medicine will go out of network for Healthfirst plans starting on Nov. 3. In addition to Medicaid plans for low-income residents, Healthfirst also offers other individual and family plans as well as Medicare Advantage insurance for older adults.

This isn’t the first time NewYork-Presbyterian has threatened to cut ties wit