The Empire Plan is a unique health insurance plan designed especially for public employees in New York State. Empire Plan benefits include inpatient and outpatient hospital coverage, medical/surgical coverage, Centers of Excellence for transplants, infertility and cancer, home care services, equipment and supplies, mental health and substance abuse coverage and prescription drug coverage.
ANDREW M. CUOMO
Governor
LOLA W. BRABHAM
Acting Commissioner
NY18-02
TO: New York State Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: 2018 NYSHIP General Information Book for NY Retirees (Empire Plan and HMO)
DATE: February 21, 2018
We are pleased to announce that a revised NYSHIP General Information Book (GIB) for retirees of New York State is at the printer and will soon be mailed to enrollee homes and NY agencies.
Revised Book
The 2018 General Information Book for NY retirees contains information regarding NYSHIP eligibility rules, enrollment options, requirements and costs. This updated publication replaces the 2015 General Information Book and applies to all NY retirees enrolled in either The Empire Plan or a NYSHIP-approved HMO. Please recycle any old copies of this publication that you may have in your office.
Distribution
We will send you a supply of five copies for your use. This publication will begin mailing to enrollee homes in the beginning of March. Mail files were pulled from NYBEAS on February 21, 2018. Any enrollee not on the file as of that date will not receive this mailing. This publication is also included in the Quick Order packages, which can be ordered on HBA Online.
Publications Available on NYSHIP Online: www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits
Please check NYSHIP Online for new publications. We generally post publications when we sign off for printing. Publications are available under Using Your Benefits.
Ordering Publications
You may order additional copies of the General Information Book for NY retirees (AL1570) on HBA Online under Publications & Forms. Please wait until you receive your shipment of the new publication before you place an order.
If you need help accessing HBA Online, contact the ITS Service Desk at 844-891-1786, fixit@its.ny.gov or via chat at https://chat.its.ny.gov. If you are unsure of how to order publications or have questions about this distribution, please call the EBD Communications Unit at 518-457-7577.