NY State of Health is an official website of the NYS Department of Health 

NYS State of Health has begun sending out information on HR1 related changes to Medicaid. Patient info is available in 13 different languages. Links provided below.

Notices are going out now!

Starting Monday, July 27 people with NYS Medicaid began getting alerts about the Medicaid changes set to take effect 1/1/27. This is what we've been told so far:

• Text Messages: Beginning Monday, July 27, 2026, affected consumers will receive text messages directing them to the Stay Covered website for more information. These messages will continue through the end of September.

• Mail Notices: Notices regarding Medicaid Work Requirements will go out starting mid-August 2026 and continue through September until all affected consumers have received them. Click here to see a sample example Notice. 

• Eligibility & Renewal Notices: Information about work requirements will be included in eligibility & renewal notices beginning in late September. 

If you or someone you know receives an alert or notice it's important to read it immediately and if you or they have questions, contact a qualified expert source like Stay Covered website 

New York State Medicaid provides coverage to people in a variety of situations.

The information here is taken directly from the public-facing NYS Department of Health & Medicaid website and is being reposted here as service to the rare disease community. 

New York's Medicaid program provides health coverage to more than 6 million New Yorkers. Medicaid pays for a wide-range of services, depending on your age, income, family and life situation, These services are provided through a network of health care providers that you can access directly using your Medicaid card or through your managed care plan if you are enrolled in managed care. Some services may have small co-payments, which can be waived if you cannot afford them. 

Did you know?

• Over 50% of children with a rare disease in the U.S. rely on Medicaid for their healthcare, making state Medicaid programs the single largest insurer of rare pediatric conditions in the country.

•  An estimated 1.8 million New Yorkers live with a rare disease, enough people to fill Highmark Stadium in Buffalo twenty-five times over.

• New York tests every newborn for over 50 rare conditions right at birth, and if a rare disease is found  Medicaid can ensure eligible infants get access to specialist care.

A brief explanation of Medicaid

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program, which means it’s funded and run as a partnership of the state and federal government. Medicaid is run at the state level, with the federal government setting many of the major rules (through the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services) while New York sets other rules. Medicaid was created in July of 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965 into law (under Title XIX of the Social Security Act).