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.

HIPAA and Your Privacy

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), was enacted in 1996 to protect the privacy and security of medical information. The Act's Privacy Rule gives you rights about your protected health information (PHI) and limits how entities such as NYSHIP can use and disclose PHI.

NYSHIP Notice of Privacy Practices - This notice explains how your PHI may be used and disclosed, how you can obtain access to it and exercise your rights regarding this information.

HIPAA Authorization Form & Instructions - You may allow us to release your PHI to an individual acting on your behalf, such as a family member or attorney, by submitting this form.

HIPAA Complaint Form - If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Department of Civil Service's HIPAA Complaint Officer. The DCS HIPAA Complaint Officer will investigate your complaint and provide you with a written response. Your complaint should be filed within 180 days of when you first learned of the problem.