NYSHIP stands for the “New York State Health Insurance Program.” It is a benefit program, established in 1957, to provide health insurance coverage to state and local government employees.

Today, more than 1.2 million state and local government workers, retirees and their families are covered under the NYSHIP program. NYSHIP is the largest public employer health insurance program in the nation, outside of the federal government.

NYSHIP offers coverage through its own preferred provider organization (PPO) health plan, called The Empire Plan, and through 12 HMOs located around New York.
The following HMOs participate in the NYSHIP program:

• Aetna
• Blue Choice
• Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan
• Community Blue
• Empire BlueCross BlueShield HMO 
• GHI HMO Select, Inc.
• HIP Health Plan of New York
• HMOBlue
• Independent Health
• MVP Health Care
• Preferred Care
• Univera Healthcare
  

For more information about the NYSHIP program, contact:
New York State Department of Civil Service, Employee Benefits Division
Alfred E. Smith State Office Building, Albany, NY 12239 or online at http://www.cs.state.ny.us.