NYS Empire Health Insurance

The NYS Empire Health Insurance plan, or New York State Health Insurance Plan, is a health insurance plan designed for residents of New York state who are employed by the state itself, or one of the state's approved employers or agencies. The Empire Plan is run through United Healthcare and offers reduced-cost doctor visits and treatments for patients under the plan.

Qualifications

• To qualify for the Empire Plan, you must be employed by the state of New York, have worked at least three months and make an annual salary of at least $2,000. Local elected officials, paid legislatures, members of the school board and unpaid board members for other important government boards are exempt from those rules and can apply for coverage under the plan.

Function

• The NYS Empire Plan is a heath insurance plan for New York state employees and their families. As of September 2009, the plan provided coverage for close to 1.2 million people in the N.Y. area. The plan offers a group of participating medical providers that those using the plan can visit for medical assistance and offers assistance in paying for medical services from non-participating medical providers.

Features

• The Empire Plan currently has 100,000 participating medical providers available for patients to visit for a small copay. Of those 100,000 providers, there are also 5,000 providers of chiropractic care and physical therapy. With the health plan, patients can visit any of the providers and only pay a small copay for each visit rather than the full price the physician typically charges for care.

Types

• The Empire Plan provides health insurance for New York State Employees, participating employers and agencies in the New York area and for graduate students enrolled in the Student Employee Health Plan.

Cost

• The cost associated with the NYS Empire Health Plan depends on the state agency you work for and whether your policy is for just you or is for your entire family. Contact the Human Resources department at your particular state agency to determine your plan costs.