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HealthFirst
HealthFirst is a not-for-profit New York health insurer with nearly 2M members, offering Medicare, Medicaid, and Essential Plans since 1993.
HealthFirst
HealthFirst was founded more than 30 years ago as a not-for-profit community health plan sponsored by some of New York's largest hospitals and medical centers. The organization sells individual and family health insurance, including Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plans, and Long-Term Care plans. HealthFirst covers the full spectrum of government-sponsored and commercial insurance products. Its plan options range from low-cost Essential Plans to Qualified Health Plans under the Leaf brand. The insurer operates community offices across New York City and upstate counties and offers a member portal and mobile app for plan management. Membership has grown to nearly 2 million (per the firm's website). HealthFirst employs over 4,500 people (per public reports) and maintains additional offices in San Francisco, Boston, Menlo Park, and Vancouver. The organization operates a Virtual Community Office for remote member support. No separate philanthropic foundation or investment arm is disclosed. A structural differentiator is HealthFirst's hospital-sponsored governance model: the organization is owned by a consortium of New York hospitals and medical systems, tying its financial incentives directly to the provider network's capacity, rather than to shareholder returns.
General information
Firm type
other
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
New York
Corporate office
New York, NY, United States
Additional offices
San Francisco, CA, United States · Boston, MA, United States · Menlo Park, CA, United States · Vancouver, Canada
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who sponsors HealthFirst?
HealthFirst is sponsored by a consortium of nationally recognized hospitals and medical centers in New York. These provider organizations founded and own the not-for-profit insurer, aligning its mission with community health outcomes rather than shareholder returns (per the firm's website).
What types of health insurance does HealthFirst sell?
HealthFirst offers Medicare Advantage plans, Medicaid, Child Health Plus, Essential Plans, Qualified Health Plans under the Leaf brand, and Long-Term Care insurance. The Essential Plan 200–250 is a key product for low-income New Yorkers (per firm website).
Where does HealthFirst operate?
HealthFirst primarily serves New York City, Long Island, Rockland, Sullivan, and Westchester counties. It also maintains corporate offices in San Francisco, Boston, Menlo Park, and Vancouver (per firm website).
How does HealthFirst's membership compare to other New York insurers?
HealthFirst reports nearly 2 million members, making it one of New York's largest not-for-profit health insurers. Its hospital-sponsored model differentiates it from for-profit competitors like Empire BlueCross BlueShield (per firm website).
Is HealthFirst a single-family office or investment firm?
No. HealthFirst is a not-for-profit health insurance company. It does not operate as a family office, asset manager, or investment vehicle. This profile describes the insurer's operational structure, not an investment firm (per firm website).
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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