New York State
Insurance Department

NEW YORK INSURANCE DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES NEW "ONE STOP SHOPPING" HEALTH INSURANCE RESOURCE CENTER FOR CONSUMERS

New York, December 7, 1998

To better assist consumers seeking health care coverage, Superintendent of Insurance Neil D. Levin today unveiled the Department’s new "Health Insurance Resource Center" on its website. The Health Insurance Resource Center at www.ins.state.ny.us will be a one-stop shopping source for any New Yorker comparing health insurance coverages, and will help consumers understand what their rights are under the law.

"Consumers are our number one priority," said Superintendent Levin. "The Department’s new Health Insurance Resource Center will provide the latest information in one central place to make it easier for consumers to wisely shop for health insurance."

At the Resource Center consumers will now find monthly premium rates of various insurers for direct pay, small group, and Medicare supplement contracts to make comparison shopping easier, and pertinent links to sections of the Insurance Law, regulations, and circular letters.

The new Health Insurance Resource Center also contains Department press releases such as public hearing announcements for proposed rate increases. Consumer guides to long term care insurance and Medicare (a link to the Health Care Financing Administration website) are available. A consumer guide to individual HMO and point of service products will soon be available as well as information regarding Department disciplinary actions concerning health insurers.

Health insurance information that is currently available on the Department’s website has been centralized into the new Health Insurance Resource Center to make it easier for consumers to locate information. This includes an existing section for seniors who are trying to find new coverage because their HMO has dropped their Medicare contracts, the Department’s annual complaint ranking of HMOs and health insurers, and information on how to file a complaint.