Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) is the trade name of EmpireHealthChoice Assurance, Inc., and Empire BlueCross BlueShield HMO is the tradename of Empire HealthChoice HMO, Inc., independent licensees of the Blue CrossBlue Shield Association, serving residents and businesses in the 28 easternand southeastern counties of New York State. Empire BlueCross BlueShield, thelargest health insurer in New York State based on PPO and HMO membership, is asubsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., whose mission is to improve thelives of the people it serves and the health of its communities.

Empire is the largest publicly traded commercial health benefits company in terms of membership in the United States, and an independent licensee of the Blue CrossBlue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as Empire BlueCross BlueShield in 10 New York City metropolitan counties and as Empire BlueCross or Empire BlueCross BlueShield in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the city of Fairfax, the town of Vienna and the area east of State route 123), Wisconsin; and through UniCare.

About Empire BCBS

Empire is a leader in providing health insurance coverage to customers in New York State and nationwide accounts, serving 5 million members and over 38,000 employer accounts. Empire is a leader in providing health insurance coverage to customers in New York State and nationwide accounts, serving 5 million members and over 38,000 employer accounts.

Empire BCBS consistently earns Excellent Accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for our HMO, Direct HMO and Medicare Advantage HMO products..

Empire BCBS, Inc.

Corporate Headquarters:
11 West 42nd Street
New York, NY 10036
212-476-1000
CEO:
Mark Wagar
Employee Number:
5,400
2008 Revenue:
$2.1 billion

Product Types Offered

Individuals

Empire BCBS offers Health Products for individuals, families and sole proprietors under the age of 65 and not eligible for Medicare. Empire offers the following individual plans:

Child Health Plus
Qualified children under the age of 19 can have their very own health insurance plan, New York State's Child Health Plus.  Benefits are available for in-network services only with the exception of emergency room services.

Direct Payment HMO/POS
Offers the benefits of both a traditional HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) for in-network services and the additional freedom to obtain out-of-network POS (Point of Service) medical services. Under the HMO portion of your Direct Pay HMO/POS contract, you receive full coverage for services that are obtained "in-network" except for emergency room services. Most covered HMO services require a co-payment. The POS portion of your plan provides coverage for when you choose a provider without a written referral from your PCP or when you choose to see a provider who is out-of-network.

Direct Payment Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
Empire has consistently earned Excellent Accreditation status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for our HMO plan. 

Healthy New York
Provides affordable health coverage to eligible individuals and sole proprietors.

TraditionPLUS Hospital
Covers your hospital needs-and the hospital needs of your covered dependents-even when you are far away from home.

Employers

More than just another health insurer, Empire is your single source for health coverage and wellness information you need to get and stay healthy.
That's why all of our plans come with the added benefit of 360° Health® , our comprehensive suite of preventive care programs, wellness information, case management and care coordination services. 

The Group plans offered by Empire are:

• HMO   
• PPO    
• EPO    
• Value EPO
• Direct POS
• Empire Prism
• Empire Total BlueSM HRA
• Empire Total BlueSM HSA
• DirectShareSM POS
• Direct HMO

Medicare Plans

A Medicare Supplement Plan is a health benefit coverage plan that complements (or supplements) your regular Medicare coverage. Although Medicare pays for many health care services and supplies, it doesn’t pay for all of them. A Medicare Supplement Plan will help pay for those costs which could include deductibles, coinsurance and copayments when visiting your doctor. An Empire Medicare Supplemental Plan is also a good idea if you prefer to keep your own doctor and hospital and choose your own specialist and other health care provider. 

There are 12 standardized Medicare Supplement plans, but plan availability varies from company to company. Plan A covers only the basic benefits. Depending on the plan you choose, plans B through L offer the basic benefits plus coverage for a variety of other expenses like emergency health care while traveling outside the United States, Part A deductible, skilled nursing facility care and Part B deductible. 
Empire offers the following Medicare Supplement plans: A, B, C, F, H, K and L.

Provider Network

Empire BCBS has one of the country’s biggest provider networks. You can use Empire BCBS’s online provider directory to learn more about doctors, hospitals, other medical services, dentists, vision care providers and pharmacies that work with your Empire BCBS plan.

Click Here to access Empire’s Online Provider Directory.

Network Facts

Membership:
Empire serves 5 million members and over 38,000 employer accounts in New York and Nationwide.

Health Care Networks:
Empire’s Local network includes providers in 28 eastern and southeastern counties of New York State and the 10 contiguous counties in New Jersey and Connecticut.

Members have access to participating BlueCard® providers across the country and around the world through local Blue Cross and/or Blue Shield plans.

Recent News

Here are some of the most recent news regarding Empire BCBS:

Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield Adds Life Insurance, Becomes Full-Service Benefits Provider
Anthem Life and Disability products, vision and dental expand cost-effective solutions for today’s challenging economy

NEW YORK, June 9, 2009 – Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) today announced approval by the New York Department of Insurance to begin offering Life and Disability insurance as part of their broad benefit portfolio. Available through the New York-based affiliate, Anthem Life & Disability Insurance Company, this addition makes Empire a leading information resource and one-stop shop for medical, pharmacy, dental, vision, life and disability benefit programs for individuals as well as large and small employers in New York State. 

Earlier this year Empire launched Blue View Vision, a new, innovative eye care insurance option, which is now available for sale for all groups with two or more employees. (Continue Reading)

Rating

Empire BCBS’s rating, as rated by A.M. Best Company. A.M. Best Company is a full-service credit rating organization dedicated to serving the financial services industries, including the banking and insurance sectors.

Financial Strength Rating
Rating: A (Excellent)
Financial Size Category: IX ($250 Million to $500 Million)
Outlook: Stable
Action: Affirmed
Effective Date: January 23, 2009