As the pandemic strained healthcare systems nationwide, the Poverty Tracker provided a unique opportunity to understand the healthcare needs of New Yorkers and the challenges they faced. As COVID-era disruptions have receded, healthcare access has not returned to normal for all New Yorkers. This special healthcare series, produced in partnership with Robin Hood and funded by the Helmsley Charitable Trust, shows a more complicated story: for New Yorkers already managing chronic illness or serious psychological distress, economic disadvantage and unstable housing continue to drive delayed care, appointment barriers, and reliance on emergency rooms—even years after the pandemic's peak.
Key Findings
Delayed care and affordability remain persistent barriers
- New Yorkers with high healthcare needs continue to delay or forgo care at elevated rates, with affordability and insurance coverage remaining key obstacles for those facing economic disadvantage.
Healthcare access is more unequal
- Economically disadvantaged New Yorkers were more likely to delay or forgo physical healthcare than more-advantaged New Yorkers, and this gap grew as the pandemic subsided, from 8 percentage points in 2021 to 31 percentage points in 2022.
A widening gap in where New Yorkers get care
- In 2022, 93% of more-advantaged, high-need New Yorkers regularly saw a doctor or health center (up from 86% in 2021)—while regular visits among economically disadvantaged high-need New Yorkers stayed flat at 78%, doubling the gap between the two groups.
Housing hardship is a hidden driver of poor health outcomes
- Nearly one in four (24%) high-need New Yorkers with persistent housing hardship reported a housing-related healthcare barrier—like unsafe living conditions or no clean place to recover—roughly three times the rate of those with stable housing (9%).
The Poverty Tracker is a longitudinal study of the dynamics of poverty and disadvantage in New York City. It is a joint project of Robin Hood and Columbia University.
This report is part of a special series funded by the The Helmsley Charitable Trust to provide a better understanding of the economic lives of New Yorkers with the highest health care needs with the aim to improve the city’s health care system and its ability to serve all New Yorkers.
Suggested Citation:
Koutavas, Anastasia, Mustafa Hussein, Lily Bushman-Copp, and Christopher Wimer. 2026. Special series: Patterns of delayed healthcare among New Yorkers with high healthcare need over the course of the pandemic. The Poverty Tracker. New York City: Robin Hood.
Koutavas, Anastasia, Mustafa Hussein, Lily Bushman-Copp, and Christopher Wimer. 2026. Special series: Places of healthcare receipt among New Yorkers with high healthcare need over the course of the pandemic. The Poverty Tracker. New York City: Robin Hood.
Michielli, Francesca, Mustafa Hussein, Lily Bushman-Copp, and Christopher Wimer. 2026. Special series: Hidden in plain sight—how housing is linked to healthcare access among New Yorkers since the pandemic. The Poverty Tracker. New York City: Robin Hood.
Published on September 15, 2026