Major Health Insurer Was Also a Victim

Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield is New York State's largest health insurer. Their corporate headquarters were in the World Trade Center. While most of Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield's 1,914 employees escaped, the search continues for eight people who remain missing.

Its CEO, Michael Stocker, MD, has practiced family medicine in Chicago for 12 years. Dr. Stocker was on his way to Washington for a meeting when disaster struck, but he immediately took a car back to the city once he got the news. The employees are coping emotionally as best they can. "Work helps," said Dr. Stocker. "You run on adrenaline in the beginning. Then you get tired and you have to actually tell them to go home and pace themselves because we're going to be dealing with this for a long time."

Right now, the headquarters has been moved to the office at Melville, Long Island. They have rerouted calls, and the customer service line is up and working. "There will be delays when you call Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield for a couple of days, but our basic data is intact," said Dr. Stocker.

For more information, visit their official Web site at empirehealthcare.com.
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