Thousands of New Yorkers who experienced problems after signing up for New York's health exchange through Empire BlueCross BlueShield will receive three weeks of free coverage, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday.
The cash reimbursements are the result of a probe from the Department of Financial Services, whose investigation revealed that Empire dropped the ball while processing insurance registrations over the past few months.
Customers who registered on the state's health care exchange site have complained about Empire's failure to send bills and ID cards in a timely manner. They also said they encountered issues transferring their insurance plans.
"We will continue to work vigilantly to ensure that consumers receive the high standards of care and service that they deserve from their insurance companies," Cuomo said in a statement Sunday. "Empire did the right thing by working to address these issues and delivering relief to consumers."
Between 15 and 20,000 New Yorkers are expected to get the reimbursements. Empire has also agreed to commit $2 million to help educate customers about how to obtain health coverage.
