DALLAS — Recent events have left health insurance coverage and healthcare access in flux for millions of Texans.
There’s been a flurry of activity the last few weeks in this realm, namely on three separate fronts.
First up, there’s the tussle between Baylor Scott and White Health and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, who are engaged in a back-and-forth over terms that could jeopardize those with BCBS plans being able to still receive in-network coverage at Baylor Scott and White Health facilities.
Then there’s the situation between the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the Fort Worth-based nonprofit health insurer Cook Children’s Health Plan, which finds the former refusing to award a Medicaid contract to the latter (among others) — a move that could require millions of Texans to change plans next year if the decision continues to stand.
Lastly, there’s the turmoil surrounding the Dallas-based hospital operator Steward Health Care, which said last month that it plans to sell off more than 30 hospitals it operates across the country, possibly leaving many rural Texans — and others across the country in similar geographic situations — without access to their local healthcare facilities.
Below, we’ll take a deeper dive into each of the above and try to explain exactly what’s happening.
Source: Here’s why health insurance coverage and access to care is in flux for many in Texas / WFAA