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
Commissioner
NY20-28
PE20-26
PA20-20
SEHP20-13
PAEX20-18
TO: All Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: January 1, 2021 National Expansion of the Participating Provider Network for The Empire Plan
DATE: October 30, 2020
Effective January 1, 2021, Empire Plan enrollees and covered dependents will have nationwide access to the UnitedHealthcare (UHC) network of medical/surgical providers. The Participating Provider Program network will expand from 430,000 to over 1.2 million physicians, laboratories and other providers, such as physical therapists, occupational therapists and chiropractors, located throughout the United States.
Enrollees who live in an area where the network will be expanding will receive a letter (attached) from UHC detailing the 2021 expansion in mid- to late November. All Empire Plan enrollees will be informed of the network expansion in the October 2020 Empire Plan Reports that will be mailed to their homes October 29-November 12, 2020. The Reports have also been posted on NYSHIP Online and HBA Online.
On or after January 1, 2021, enrollees can find a participating provider in the expanded network online at www.cs.ny.gov/employee-benefits. From the NYSHIP Online homepage, click on the Find A Provider tab and select the link to the UnitedHealthcare directory. UHC Customer Service representatives have also been trained to handle inquiries from enrollees and HBAs about the network expansion. Call The Empire Plan toll free at 1-877-7-NYSHIP (1-877-769- 7447) and press or say 1 for the Medical/Surgical Program. Note: Printed Participating Provider Directories will not reflect the expanded network until the August 2021 editions are available.