Reminder: The Empire name is transitioning to Anthem

As a reminder, on January 1, 2024, Empire BlueCross BlueShield and Empire BlueCross will become Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Anthem Blue Cross. This will take place across Commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare lines of business. There will be no impact to your contract, reimbursement, or level of support. 

Why is Empire becoming Anthem?

Empire joined the Anthem family of health plans in 2006. The decision to transition the name from Empire to Anthem brings together everything that the well-respected, industry-leading Anthem brand has to offer, with the strength and value of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield brand that generations of New Yorkers have come to know and trust.

We will continue to combine the trust of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield name and the national resources and capabilities of our parent company and affiliates to improve the whole health of all New Yorkers. Below is a chart to summarize our recent and upcoming brand migrations.

For you and your patients, our priority is to make this a simple, seamless transition, so patients can continue to use the same doctors and hospitals they do today:

• Our care provider networks are not changing.
• Your patients’ plan, coverage, and ID card numbers are not changing. We will be sending out new ID cards starting this year and throughout 2024, and both the new Anthem-branded cards and old Empire-branded cards will be valid.
• We will still offer the same high-quality, affordable health benefits.
• We will continue to offer the same programs and services to help your patients take care of their overall health and well-being.
• Our existing Anthem-branded health plans in our other Blue-licensed markets are not changing and will continue to operate in their current states.

Keeping you well informed is a top priority

In advance of our official launch on January 1, 2024, we will continue to communicate news and updates to our partners, customers, and members to help prepare for this transition.

For more information, please read the Frequently Asked Questions and press release or visit empireblue.com/provider.

For more information about our go-to-market brands (for example, Anthem), visit https://elevancehealth.com/who-we-are/companies. 

Thank you for being our trusted health partner. We look forward to building the future of healthcare together as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield/Anthem Blue Cross.