HIP Health Plan of New York

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HIP Health Plan of New York

Established in 1947 as a prepaid group practice health plan conducting business in New York City, Long Island and Westchester, HIP at present offers a wide range of insured products to its nearly one million members to whom it provides medical care through contracted medical groups and through an expanded provider network of about 22,000 providers. In terms of membership, HIP Health Plan of New York is the largest HMO in New York City. The company provides access to physician services and hospital care in a variety of ways. It has contract with over 160 hospitals, including major acute care institutions, in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts to provide services to its members. HIP members have access to HIP-contracted doctors in large, multi-specialty group practices and in facilities associated with some of New York's renowned hospitals,
including Continuum Health Partners (Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center); Montefiore Medical Center; Lenox Hill Hospital; and, St. Barnabas Hospital as well as those practicing in their own offices.

HIP's total network, including subsidiaries, consists of almost 43,000 physicians and other providers in over 72,000 locations in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. HIP acquired Vytra Health Plans in 2001; ConnectiCare, one of the biggest health plans operating in Connecticut, in 2005; and PerfectHealth in 2006. In 2005, the boards of directors of HIP and Group Health, Inc. (GHI) agreed to a merger. The company runs web sites in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean.

HIP was formed to provide quality health care to persons of moderate income through the efforts of former New York City Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia. HIP's first members were employees of the city government. It has about 259,000 New York City employees, retirees and dependents as members.

HIP has introduced disease management programs to help members with asthma, diabetes or arthritis manage their condition and improve the quality of their life. The company provides alternative medicine as another extra value, which enables members to access a participating network of providers for acupuncture, massage and yoga therapy at discounted rates.
HIP also offers a pastoral care program (Integrative Wellness) in some of its participating hospitals. Through this program, HIP-trained volunteers make more than 2,000 monthly visits to those HIP members who are in hospital. They provide spiritual support and companionship during hospital stays for members to reduce their worry or loneliness. It is an excellent program for those who believe spiritual guidance to be an important part of their treatment and recovery from serious illness.

In the 1960s, HIP sponsored ground breaking medical research in heart disease and breast cancer and introduced cost-effective mental health services, health screening, wellness programs and health education. During the 1980s, HIP implemented a Medicare+Choice HMO product and began to provide point of service (POS) products. In the 2000s, it launched HIPaccess I and HIPaccess II, non-referral HMO and POS products. The company launched its first PPO/EPO products, HIP Prime PPO and HIP Prime EPO.

As part of the Medicare Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, it implemented a Medicare-approved prescription drug discount program exclusively for HIP Medicare members. Other plans launched were HIP Select PPO, HIP Select EPO and HIP Classic, the most affordable HMO in the New York Metropolitan area.

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