Medicare cost programs and free counseling in Queens

Queens is Queens County on every Medicare and Medicaid record, Medicaid and the Medicare Savings Programs are handled by the city's HRA rather than a county office, and free Medicare counseling is one phone call away through HIICAP. What changes from Flushing to Jamaica to Rego Park is not the rules but the practical side: which language you need, which bus gets you to an in-person counselor, and which local habit tends to get in the way. This hub covers what is the same across the borough; the neighborhood pages below cover the rest.

This page is for Queens residents who have Medicare and are trying to lower what they pay for it: people who already have Medicaid and want to know whether their Part B premium should still be coming out of their Social Security check, people whose income is a little above the Medicaid line and have heard of QMB or QI without knowing which one to ask about, people over 65 who pay full price for prescriptions and have never looked at EPIC, and the adult children and home attendants who help with the mail. It is also for people who have been told to "call HIICAP" and want to know what happens when they do.

HRA, not a county office. In the 57 counties outside the city, a Department of Social Services runs Medicaid. In Queens, as in the other four boroughs, the NYC Human Resources Administration does it. The Medicare Savings Program application (state form DOH-4328) is mailed to or filed with HRA, Medicaid renewals come from HRA, and the phone line for questions is the citywide HRA Medicaid Helpline. There is no Queens Medicaid office phone number, and any website that offers one is out of date or guessing. HRA lists its Queens Medicaid office locations on nyc.gov/hra.

NYC Aging, not a county Office for the Aging. HIICAP is a state program delivered locally. In Queens the local partner is NYC Aging (the Department for the Aging), a city agency. The statewide HIICAP line routes by county, so say "Queens." NYC Aging's citywide listing shows in-person HIICAP sites in Jamaica, Corona, Astoria, and Sunnyside, all by appointment, and Aging Connect is the number to book one.

Social Security and EPIC are separate doors. Extra Help for prescription costs is applied for through Social Security, and EPIC is applied for through the state EPIC program. HIICAP counselors are trained on all three programs and will tell you which door to knock on first.

HRA's Medicaid page says applicants must show proof of residency, identity, income, and immigration status, and that proof of Medicare is now required as well. For a Medicare Savings Program application in Queens, that typically means:

• Your Medicare card, or the Social Security letter showing your Medicare start date.
• Photo ID, or the state's alternative documents for identity and date of birth.
• Proof of income: the Social Security benefit letter, pension statements, pay stubs if working, and any other monthly income.
• Proof of a Queens address, such as a lease, utility bill, or a letter mailed to you.
• Proof of citizenship or immigration status when it cannot be verified electronically.

New York has no resource test for the Medicare Savings Programs, so bank statements are generally not needed for an MSP-only application; they are needed if you are applying for full Medicaid at the same time. Send copies, never originals. If a document is missing, HRA generally defers the application and gives you time to send it rather than denying it outright. The full list is on nyc.gov/hra.

For orientation only, not recommendations: NYC Health + Hospitals / Elmhurst on Broadway; NYC Health + Hospitals / Queens in Jamaica Hills; Jamaica Hospital Medical Center near the Van Wyck; Flushing Hospital Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Queens in Flushing; Long Island Jewish Forest Hills on Queens Boulevard; Mount Sinai Queens in Astoria; and Queens Borough Hall in Kew Gardens, which is the borough's civic center and not a Medicaid or Medicare office.