The number of people signed up for NYC Care decreased 12% from 140,222 patients in fiscal 2025 to 123,124 in fiscal 2026, according to the latest Mayor’s Management Report.
The program has served as a medical lifeline for some of the city’s immigrants who are excluded from Medicaid and other public programs. “It’s always alarming and very concerning to see drops in enrollment in healthcare, right?
Especially for vulnerable populations,” City Councilmember Alexa Avilés, who serves on the committee for immigration, told The City Reporter. NYC Health + Hospitals, which administers NYC Care, blamed the drop on a combination of factors: aging participants transitioning to Medicaid regardless of their immigration status; expansion of Medicaid and Child Health Plus; and continuous Medicaid eligibility for children under the age of six.
A busy entrance at Woodhull Hospital in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Jan. 22, 2026. Credit: Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY Still, the agency is hearing “anecdotally” of an “increasing reluctance” by immigrants to hand over basic information needed to enroll due to fears it could be handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the yearly management report.
“Immigrants in particular are definitely fearful as they see the federal government taking data from other agencies where historically they did not do that,” Avilés said.