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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.

New York State of Opportunity

ANDREW M. CUOMO
Governor
LOLA W. BRABHAM
Acting Commissioner

NY18-22

TO: New York State Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: Communications Plan: Option Transfer Period for 2019
DATE: October 11, 2018

We are pleased to announce the communications schedule for this year’s Option Transfer (OT) Period. 

Option Transfer Posters
The OT posters help to remind enrollees about the OT Period and other program deadlines. In September, we sent you OT posters equal to one percent of your NYSHIP enrollment. Please post them in high-traffic, highly visible locations and keep them up until the end of the OT Period, typically through year end. Additional copies can be ordered on HBA Online. If your agency posts information for employees on an intranet, please use the attached PDF.

Planning for Option Transfer
The Planning for Option Transfer flyer describes the requirements and enrollment procedures for several benefits and programs, including NYSHIP health benefits, the Pre-Tax Contribution Program (PTCP), the Opt-Out Program, if applicable, and the Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP), if applicable. Planning for Option Transfer flyers were mailed to enrollee homes in early October. We also shipped you a supply of flyers equal to two percent of your NYSHIP enrollment for new employees or for use at meetings.

Health Insurance Choices for 2019
Choices is a guide to Option Transfer that details the benefits, services and programs available to NYSHIP enrollees, including The Empire Plan and NYSHIP-approved Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). Procedures for changing options, tips on how to decide which coverage may be best for the enrollee and updates on plan changes are also included in this publication. In October, we will ship you a supply of Choices equal to five percent of your NYSHIP enrollment. Please distribute to employees who request them as this publication is not mailed to enrollee homes.

Health Insurance Choices for 2019 Supplement
As you are aware, several of the State employee bargaining units have settled their contracts, which will result in Empire Plan benefit changes for 2019. As of the date of this memo, the following groups are included in this category: CSEA, DC-37, PBA, UCS (except employees represented by COBANC) and UUP. The 2019 Empire Plan benefits for these groups will be detailed in the Health Insurance Choices for 2019 Supplement. This document should be distributed along with the Active Choices publication to any enrollee in these groups who requests Choices. In October, we will separately ship you a supply of the Choices Supplement equal to five percent of your NYSHIP enrollment in the affected groups. Like Choices, it will not be mailed to enrollee homes.

Distribution of Rate Flyer for Active Enrollees
The Rates & Deadlines for 2019 flyer provides the rates, the deadline for option changes and other important dates, such as payroll deduction dates. The rate flyers will be mailed to enrollee homes once rates have been approved, no later than early December. We will post a system announcement with additional details once the rates are approved. We will send you a supply equal to five percent of your NYSHIP enrollment. Again, please distribute to any new employees or enrollees who request them.

Option Transfer Policy for NYSHIP Enrollees with Retiree Benefits
NYSHIP enrollees with retiree benefits* are permitted to change health insurance options at any time once during a 12-month period. This policy allows retirees more flexibility and time to consider personal factors affecting their health insurance option.

*NYSHIP enrollees with retiree benefits include: Retirees, Vestees, Dependent Survivors and Enrollees Covered under Preferred List Provisions of New York State Government and COBRA enrollees with their NYSHIP benefits.

Distribution of Publications for Retirees
Once rates have been approved, we will mail Health Insurance Choices for 2019 and 2019 Rates & Information for Retirees to retiree homes. Also included in each retiree rate packet will be a personalized insert with the retiree’s sick leave credit value, if applicable. Note: Retiree Choices is mailed only to retirees living in New York State. We will send you five copies of Choices and the Rates flyer to distribute to new retirees. You may order additional copies throughout 2019, if needed.

Information on the Web
All 2019 Option Transfer publications, including the rate flyers, will be available on the Employee Benefits Division’s administrative website, HBA Online, at www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits/hba. Select Health Plan Choices on the homepage to view OT information. Note: This site continues to be your best option if you frequently need to check benefit information for different groups. This information also will be available on NYSHIP Online at www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits. Select Health Benefits & Option Transfer, then choose Rates and Health Plan Choices.

We will remove the 2018 OT information from both the public and administrative websites once 2019 rates have been approved and the 2019 OT Period begins. If you need to view this information, it will still be available in the archives of each site. From NYSHIP Online, select the

group, if prompted, and then Using Your Benefits. Choose Publications and scroll down to Archived Publications. From the HBA Online homepage, select Publications and Forms, then scroll down to Archived Publications.

NYSHIP’s Plan Comparison Tool
The NYSHIP Plan Comparison tool on NYSHIP Online will be updated to reflect 2019 benefits and available during the OT Period. The system announcement on rate approval will note the availability of the Plan Comparison tool. Enrollees can generate a side-by-side comparison of the NYSHIP plans available in their area by visiting www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits, choosing Rates and Health Plan Choices and then NYSHIP Plan Comparison.

To Order Health Benefits Materials
The Employee Benefits Division keeps inventory for all Option Transfer publications to accommodate agencies that need more than the supply shipped. To order OT materials both during and after the OT Period, please use the online publication ordering system via HBA Online at www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits/hba. Please do not order publications until you have received your shipment.

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 have any questions, please call the Communications Unit at (518) 457-7577.