The Empire Plan Offers Telemedicine at No Cost to Enrollees
Each day, CSEA continues to address the ever-changing needs of our members during this unprecedented time. In light of the current COVID-19 outbreak in New York State, CSEA’s Joint Committee on Health Benefits has worked with New York State to offer a pilot Telemedicine Program for Empire Plan enrollees/dependents to begin immediately.
This voluntary Telemedicine Program, through LiveHealth Online, allows Empire Plan enrollees/dependents access to a live doctor 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without leaving their home (Spanish-speaking doctors are also available). Covered-in-full services are available for medical as well as mental health visits (by application of an Empire Plan specific coupon code) through Dec. 31, 2020.
If you are enrolled in the Empire Plan, you will be receiving a postcard from New York State describing how to use this benefit by using an electronic device such as a laptop, tablet or smartphone. This telemedicine program is provided by LiveHealth Online; claims for the telemedicine visits will be processed by Empire BlueCross, the Empire Plan’s hospital carrier.
Empire Plan enrollees/dependents who require immediate access to medical or mental health telemedicine services can visit Empire Blue Cross’s website and register through the LiveHealth Online link. To receive paid-in-full benefits, the Empire Plan specific coupon code (listed on the Blue Cross Empire Plan website) must be added when registering for medical telemedicine services or when receiving mental health telemedicine services.
Telemedicine medical services
Currently, Empire Plan enrollees registering for LiveHealth Online would use “Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield NY” as health plan and enter your Empire Plan identification number. The Empire Plan specific coupon code should be added on the screen which discusses payment (result will show a $0 visit fee). After successfully registering and logging in, medical services with a live physician can be requested.
Telemedicine mental health services
Currently, Empire Plan enrollees registering for LiveHealth Online would use “Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield NY” as health plan and enter your Empire Plan identification number. Telemedicine visits for mental health are longer, and more in-depth, which results in higher visit fees.
During the registration process, credit card information is required to secure an appointment. The credit card will not be charged when scheduling an appointment and will be waived at the time of the provider visit once the coupon code is entered on the payment screen. Like face-to-face mental health visits, the telemedicine mental health may charge a $25 cancellation fee if the scheduled appointment is missed or cancellation happens with less than 24 hours’ notice. The Empire Plan specific coupon code should be used when logging in for the mental health telemedicine appointment; the result is a $0 visit fee.
The current national recommendation to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 is to use telemedicine for non-emergent situations before seeking other levels of care. All telemedicine providers, including LiveHealth Online, are experiencing large call volume which can lead to longer than usual wait times.
Empire Plan enrollees are encouraged to call the Empire Plan with any questions at 1-877-769-7447 (1-877-769-7447) and select option 2 for the Hospital Program.
CSEA will continue to monitor the success of this program with New York State and will keep Empire Plan enrollees apprised of any future developments.