Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare plans in the Capital Region
What Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield sells to Medicare beneficiaries in New York, what the Capital Region's hospitals say about it in 2026, and how it compares. I'm appointed with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield; I'm also appointed with the carriers it competes with, which is the point.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (Anthem HealthChoice Assurance, Inc. and Anthem HealthChoice HMO, Inc. (formerly Empire BlueCross BlueShield); home office New York, New York) sells the following to New York Medicare beneficiaries: Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans with Part D; Dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans; Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies in New York. Members and doctors' offices still use both names; when checking a directory, search under Anthem and Empire. I'm appointed with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and with its competitors; the plan is chosen by checking your doctors, your hospital and your prescriptions against each specific plan, not by carrier name, and there's no fee for the comparison.
Who they are
The former Empire BlueCross BlueShield, renamed Anthem in 2024; the hospitals' lists still say Empire. All three Capital Region systems list Empire BlueCross BlueShield. Anthem also files Medicare Supplement rates in New York. For 2026 its Medicare Advantage plans are sold downstate (New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley), not in Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren or Washington County, so here the appointment matters for Medigap and for clients who move.
Plans are issued by Anthem HealthChoice Assurance, Inc. and Anthem HealthChoice HMO, Inc. (formerly Empire BlueCross BlueShield), home office New York, New York (9 Pine Street, New York, as listed by NY DFS; parent Elevance Health is in Indianapolis, Indiana). Named here because New York Insurance Law §2122(b) requires a licensee who names an insurer to give its full name and home-office city.
What Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield sells to Medicare beneficiaries in New York
- Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans with Part D
- Dual-eligible (D-SNP) plans
- Medicare Supplement (Medigap) policies in New York
Not every product is sold in every county, and I don't offer every Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plan. What I can quote for your ZIP code is settled in the first call.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage plans in the counties I cover, 2027
1 Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is filed in the 17 counties I cover for 2027 (Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren and Washington in person, the others by phone and video), according to the CMS landscape file read October 27, 2026. Premiums, benefits and star ratings are in each plan's own documents; which of these I can enroll you in, and whether one fits, is the comparison against your doctors and prescriptions.
| Plan | Type | Sold in |
|---|---|---|
| Anthem HealthPlus Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) | HMO D-SNP | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer |
Every carrier's plans, county by county: Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Warren, Washington.
What changed for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield from 2026 to 2027
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is new to Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties for 2027. Across the six Capital Region counties: 1 new plan.
| Change | Plan | Plan ID | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| New for 2027 | Anthem HealthPlus Full Dual Advantage (HMO D-SNP) | H8432-043 | Albany, Saratoga, Schenectady, Rensselaer |
From the CMS landscape files for 2026 and 2027, read October 27, 2026. The comparison covers the six Capital Region counties; the other counties on this site have no 2026 list here to compare against. Every carrier's changes, county by county: what changed for 2027.
Capital Region hospitals and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage, 2026
| Hospital system | On the hospital's list? | Note from the list |
|---|---|---|
| Albany Med Health System Albany Medical Center (Albany), Saratoga Hospital (Saratoga Springs), Glens Falls Hospital, Columbia Memorial (Hudson), Malta Med Emergent Care | Listed | listed as Empire BlueCross BlueShield; the system's Medicare paragraph names both Anthem and Empire Blue Cross |
| St. Peter's Health Partners St. Peter's Hospital (Albany), Samaritan Hospital (Troy), Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital (Schenectady), St. Peter's Health Partners Medical Associates | Listed | |
| Ellis Medicine Ellis Hospital (Schenectady), Bellevue Woman's Center (Niskayuna), Medical Center of Clifton Park, Ellis Health Center | Listed |
From the three systems' accepted-insurance pages, read October 15, 2026. "Listed" means the carrier appears on the hospital's list, not that every plan or every physician is in network; "Not accepted" means the hospital states the exclusion; "Not listed" means the carrier is absent from the list, which is unverified rather than excluded. Check the specific plan's directory either way. The full matrix and the hospitals' own wording are on which plans Capital Region hospitals accept; where each Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plan stands, hospital by hospital: Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's Hospital, Ellis Hospital, Saratoga Hospital, Samaritan Hospital, Glens Falls Hospital.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medigap in New York
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield files Medicare Supplement rates with the New York Department of Financial Services. Its Albany-region premiums are not in the DFS comparison table I maintain on the rates page; I quote them directly when they fit.
What to watch
Members and doctors' offices still use both names; when checking a directory, search under Anthem and Empire.
How I use this
I'm appointed with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and with its competitors, and I'm paid by the carrier rather than by you, at commission rates that Medicare caps for Advantage and Part D plans, so the comparison is a fair one. Every recommendation starts with your doctors and your hospital checked against the specific plan's directory, then your prescriptions priced through its formulary, then the total yearly cost. When an Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is the right answer I'll say so; when it isn't, I'll say that too. Ask for a comparison, or read how to choose a Medicare plan in New York first. Official plan details: Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield's Medicare site.
- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare (carrier site)
- Insurance company directory (NY Department of Financial Services) — legal entity names and home-office addresses, checked September 16, 2026
- Accepted insurance (Albany Med Health System)
- Accepted insurance (St. Peter's Health Partners)
- Participating insurance listing (Ellis Medicine)
- Comparison of 2026 Medicare Supplement premiums (NY DFS)
- Insurance Law §2122, advertising by licensees (New York State Senate)
We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently we represent 10 organizations which offer 81 products in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. 1-800-MEDICARE (TTY 1-877-486-2048) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Insurers' legal names and home offices: carriers page.
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.
Do you sell Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare plans?
Yes. I'm appointed with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and with the other carriers active in the Capital Region, and I'm paid by the carrier rather than by you. Not every Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is available in every county, and I don't offer every plan; I'll tell you which ones I can quote for your ZIP code.
Does Albany Med accept Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage?
See the hospital table on this page, taken from the Albany Med Health System's own accepted-insurance list as read October 15, 2026, and remember that a carrier on the list does not guarantee every plan or physician is in network; the specific plan's directory is the final check.
Is Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield the right choice for me?
Only your doctors, hospital, prescriptions and budget can answer that. An Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is right when those check out against the specific plan, and wrong when they don't, regardless of what the carrier's advertising says. I run that comparison across carriers at no fee.
Does Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield sell Medigap in New York?
Yes. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield files community-rated Medicare Supplement premiums with the New York Department of Financial Services; in New York the same premium applies at every age and the policy is guaranteed-issue in any month. Albany-region premiums for the carriers in the DFS comparison are on the Medigap rates page.
Ask for a Medicare comparison
Your doctors, your prescriptions and your ZIP code are all I need to start. No fee for plan comparison or enrollment.