Market overview
New York's Blue landscape is among the most fragmented in the country — multiple licensees serve different regions of the state — with the national carriers competing statewide across a large, heavily regulated commercial market.
Major commercial carriers
The national carriers all operate in New York — UnitedHealthcare (behavioral health through Optum), Aetna, and Cigna (behavioral health through Evernorth) — alongside the state's regional Blue licensees.
Profiles: UnitedHealthcare / Optum · Aetna · Cigna / Evernorth
The state's Blues
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield (formerly Empire BlueCross BlueShield)
Serves the downstate / New York City region under the Anthem/Elevance brand.
See the Anthem / Elevance / Carelon guideExcellus BlueCross BlueShield
Serves upstate and central New York.
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York and Highmark Blue Shield of Northeastern New York
Serve the Buffalo / Western and Northeastern New York regions — both operated by Highmark Western and Northeastern New York Inc.
More in the Northeast
Connecticut · Maine · Massachusetts · New Hampshire · New Jersey · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · Vermont
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