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
NY20-03
PE20-03
PA20-03
SEHP20-02
PAEX20-03
TO: Agency Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: Telehealth Service
DATE: March 25, 2020
The Empire Plan is doing all they can to support its enrollees through this unprecedented time and has introduced a new telehealth benefit to help them access health care services remotely. LiveHealth Online lets enrollees stay home and have a video visit with a board-certified doctor or licensed therapist on their smartphone, tablet or personal computer.
If enrollees are concerned about leaving their homes to receive medical care or their ability to access care, The Empire Plan will cover telehealth visits at no cost. See the attachment for additional information and step-by-step instructions to register or enrollees who are already registered can login to www.empireblue.com/nys to get a coupon code to cover the full cost of their LiveHealth Online visit. For additional assistance, enrollees should be encouraged to call The Empire Plan at 1-877-7-NYSHIP (1-877-769-7447) and select option 2 for the Hospital Program. Note: A postcard regarding this new benefit will also be mailed to enrollees in the coming week.