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.
GOVERNOR
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL SERVICE
ALBANY, NEW YORK 12239
www.cs.ny.gov
COMMISSIONER
DANIEL E. WALL
EXECUTIVE
DEPUTY COMISSIONER
PA00-18
TO: Participating Agency Health Benefits Administrators
FROM: Employee Benefits Division
SUBJECT: 2000 Data Match Project: Paper Questionnaire or Electronic Media Questionnaire (EMQ)
DATE: October 12, 2000
This year's Data Match from HCFA will cover the years 1997, 1998 and 1999. It asks for more detailed plan information than has been requested in previous years; the data for the Empire Plan medical and hospitalization components is attached. For the Data Match Project, the Empire Plan is not considered one plan because of its multiple insurers and their specific functions. You will report the Empire Plan medical and hospital components as separate plans. HCFA has determined that the mental health component of the Empire Plan is considered a special purpose indemnity program and does not need to be reported for the Data Match. (The wait for that determination is why you are receiving this memo now instead of late spring as usual.) Any recovery letters from Medicare contractors received for the mental health component should be forwarded to the Empire Plan mental health carrier.
Your agency is considered the sponsor for all plans since you pay the premium for the coverage of your employees; do not list the NYS Department of Civil Service as plan sponsor. If you have listed the Department as sponsor, contact the Data Match Contractor for instructions on how to correct your response.
The attached information for the Empire Plan medical and hospitalization components will allow you to submit your responses. Questions concerning the Empire Plan data should be referred to the Employee Benefits Division; general questions concerning the Data Match Project should be referred to the Data Match Contractor whose address appears in the Data Match instructions.