Who this helps: Anyone who needs reproductive health care in New York City — including the uninsured, undocumented New Yorkers, teens, women in between insurance plans, and anyone whose private insurance has narrowed its women’s health network. NYC Health + Hospitals is the public safety net, and the door is open.
The promise of NYC Health + Hospitals
New York City’s public hospital system serves more than one million patients a year and offers a guarantee that almost no other system in the country matches: care is provided regardless of insurance, immigration status, or ability to pay. For reproductive health — family planning, prenatal care, abortion care, gynecology, and postpartum support — that guarantee matters more than ever. According to NYC Health + Hospitals, women of all ages can access reproductive health care at any of its facilities, and translation services are available in 190 languages. Information about immigration status is kept private.
This guide walks through what is available, where to go, and exactly how to make an appointment.
What “reproductive health” covers at H+H
The list is broader than most New Yorkers realize. Per the NYC Health + Hospitals women’s health service line, the system provides:
- Family planning, including all FDA-approved birth control methods (pills, IUDs, implants, injectables, emergency contraception)
- Pregnancy testing and prenatal care
- Labor and delivery, including midwifery
- Postpartum and lactation support, with referrals to doula services
- Abortion care
- STI testing and treatment
- Cervical and breast cancer screening, including Pap tests and mammograms
- Menopause and gynecology services
Five hospitals named to the U.S. News 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care list
If you are pregnant and worried about whether public-hospital care is “good enough,” the answer is on the record. According to a January 2026 announcement from NYC Health + Hospitals, five of its hospitals were named to the U.S. News & World Report 2026 Best Hospitals for Maternity Care list. The system delivers tens of thousands of babies each year and runs full-spectrum prenatal clinics at every borough hospital.
How to pay (or not pay)
There are three pathways, and most patients will use one of them:
1. You have Medicaid, Medicare, Child Health Plus, or commercial insurance. NYC Health + Hospitals accepts all of them. Your visit is billed to your plan and you pay your usual copay (which for Medicaid is typically zero).
2. You qualify for NYC Care. NYC Care is the city’s no-cost or low-cost health access program for people who cannot get or afford insurance — including undocumented New Yorkers and people with temporary coverage gaps. Enrollment is free. Call 1-646-NYC-CARE (1-646-692-2273) or visit nyccare.nyc. You can also enroll in person at any NYC Health + Hospitals location.
3. You use NYC Health + Hospitals Options. This is the system’s sliding-scale financial assistance program. Patients who do not qualify for insurance and have not yet enrolled in NYC Care can still be seen — fees are based on income and household size, and many patients qualify for a $0 visit. Ask the registration desk to apply.
Where to go: a borough-by-borough starting list
NYC Health + Hospitals operates 11 acute-care hospitals and dozens of Gotham Health community clinics. To find the closest location, use the system’s locator at nychealthandhospitals.org/locations. A starting list of women’s health hubs:
- Manhattan: NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue (462 First Avenue) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem (506 Lenox Avenue) both have full obstetric and gynecologic services.
- The Bronx: NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln (234 East 149th Street) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi (1400 Pelham Parkway South).
- Brooklyn: NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County (451 Clarkson Avenue) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull (760 Broadway).
- Queens: NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens (82-68 164th Street, Jamaica) and NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst (79-01 Broadway).
- Staten Island: Gotham Health, Vanderbilt (165 Vanderbilt Avenue) for primary and family-planning services.
Verify the address and phone number on the official site before traveling. Walk-ins are accepted in many family-planning clinics, but a same-day phone call ahead is faster.
If you are pregnant and uninsured: what to do this week
Step one is to start prenatal care immediately, even before your insurance is finalized. The clock matters — early prenatal care reduces complications and is the strongest predictor of a healthy delivery.
- Today or tomorrow: Call the women’s health line at the closest H+H hospital and request an intake visit. State that you are pregnant and uninsured.
- This week: While you are at the visit, ask the financial counselor about Presumptive Eligibility for Medicaid for pregnant women — New York extends temporary Medicaid coverage for pregnancy that begins the day you apply.
- Within 30 days: Complete a full Medicaid application through NY State of Health (1-855-355-5777) or with an HRA Medicaid counselor. NYC also has the HRA Medicaid Helpline at 718-557-1399.
- If you do not qualify for any insurance: Enroll in NYC Care (1-646-692-2273) at the same visit so future appointments are covered.
Family planning: same-day options
Most NYC Health + Hospitals women’s health clinics offer same-day or next-day birth control. IUDs and implants — the most effective methods — are usually placed at the first visit if you request them. NYC Health Department health clinics, separate from H+H, also provide free birth control and STI testing on a walk-in basis at locations including the Bushwick Sexual Health Clinic, Central Harlem Sexual Health Clinic, Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic, Fort Greene Sexual Health Clinic, Jamaica Sexual Health Clinic, Morrisania Sexual Health Clinic, and Riverside Sexual Health Clinic. Find current hours at nyc.gov/sexualhealthclinics.
Privacy and immigration status
This is the question that keeps the most people away from care. The official rule, from NYC Health + Hospitals: information about immigration status is kept private and is not shared with federal immigration enforcement. NYC Care explicitly serves undocumented residents. The same protections apply at NYC Department of Health sexual health clinics. If you have specific immigration concerns, you can ask to speak with a patient advocate at intake.
How to take action this weekend
- Save these numbers in your phone: NYC Care 1-646-692-2273; HRA Medicaid Helpline 718-557-1399; NY State of Health 1-855-355-5777.
- Identify your closest hospital at nychealthandhospitals.org/locations and write down the women’s health phone line.
- If you are pregnant or thinking about pregnancy, call Monday morning to request an intake visit. Do not wait for insurance to come through first.
- If you need birth control, walk into a NYC Health Department sexual health clinic — no appointment, no insurance card, no immigration documentation required.
- If you are uninsured for any other reason, enroll in NYC Care now so the next visit is already covered.
This article provides general public-service information. Contact your healthcare provider for medical advice specific to your situation. Program details, eligibility rules, and phone numbers are accurate as of publication; verify before your visit at nychealthandhospitals.org.
