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.
DAVID A. PATERSON
GOVERNOR
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE
ALBANY, NEW YORK 12239
www.cs.ny.gov
NANCY G. GROENWEGEN
COMMISSIONER
NY09-51
PE09-41
TO: New York State Agency Health Benefits Administrators; Health Benefits Administrators of Participating Employers
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: 2010 Empire Plan At A Glance with Copayment Cards and 2010 Drug List
DATE: December 7, 2009
We are pleased to announce the 2010 Empire Plan At A Glance for enrollees of Council 82, Courts, CSEA, DC-37, M/C; Legislature, NYSCOPBA (2 versions: Represented and Contract Affected), PBA Supervisors and Troopers, Participating Employers, PEF, PIA, UUP and Retirees are at the printer and will soon be mailed to enrollees. The At A Glance is a useful guide to Plan benefits for new employees, conferences and health fairs. Encourage employees to use this guide together with their Empire Plan Certificate and Amendments.
The 2010 At A Glance publications will be mailed with new copayment cards for those groups that will have copayment changes (copay codes A & B) for 2010. Please see the chart of current copayment cards below that we have added for your reference. The 2010 Empire Plan Preferred Drug List will be included with the At A Glance mailings to homes for employees in the following groups: Council 82, CSEA, Courts and NYSCOPBA (Contract Affected). All other groups will receive the 2010 Empire Plan Flexible Formulary list with their At A Glance.
Current Copayment Cards
| Copay Card | Fulfillment Number | Groups Covered |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 (A) | AL0864 | DC-37, M/C, PBA-S, PBA-T, PE, PEF, PIA, Retiree and UUP |
| 2010 (B) | AL0865 | CSEA and UCS |
| 2007 (A)* | AL0707 | C-82 and NYSCOPBA (contract affected) |
| 2007 (B)* | AL0708 | C-82 (Represented) |
| 2009 (A)* | AL0864 | NYSCOPBA (Represented) |
*Note: These cards will not be included in the At A Glance mailing but are the correct versions to provide to enrollees who may request them. They are available for ordering on HBA Online or by using the group’s Publication Supply Order Form.
Distribution
These publications will be mailed to enrollee homes in December. We will send you, in separate shipments, a supply of each publication equal to 2 percent of your Empire Plan enrollment for new hires or for those enrollees changing their option to The Empire Plan. The materials are group-specific making it important for you to review the contents of the shipment carefully. Dropshipments of the At A Glance and the enclosures will be delivered to agencies in December. These publications will also be included in group-specific new hire and new retiree Empire Plan packages, which are only available to order on HBA Online.
Ordering Publications
You may order additional standalone copies of the 2010 Empire Plan At A Glance, Copayment Cards, the 2010 Empire Plan Flexible Formulary and the 2010 Empire Plan Preferred Drug List on HBA Online at https://www.cs.state.ny.us/ebdonline. Open Publications & Forms and make your selection, then open NYSHIP Publication Order Forms and choose the appropriate group. Please wait until you receive your initial shipment of a particular version before ordering more. If you need help accessing HBA Online, please call the Help Desk at 1- 800-HBA-EMS1 (800-422-3671) or your processor.
If you are unsure of how to order publications, or if you have questions about this distribution, please call the Communications Unit at 518-457-7577.