Baylor Scott & White, Blue Cross extend contract three months to broker long-term deal
Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health and Richardson-based Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas have agreed to a three-month contract that will allow customers of the state’s largest health insurance provider to keep using the hospital chain while the two sides work on a longer-term deal.
The two have been in a dispute over reimbursements for the last month and that battle is still not over. Without a deal, or at the very least an extension, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas members would have been subject to costly out-of-network fees, even for doctors they had been using for years at lower costs. Blue Cross Blue and Blue Shield has nearly a 25% market share in Texas while Baylor Scott & White is among the largest providers in the region with 51 hospitals in Texas.
The contract goes until October 1. Both Texas healthcare giants are still working toward a longer contract. But, for now, Texans who use Blue Cross through Baylor Scott can breathe a sigh of relief.
“The three-month extension means Baylor Scott & White providers, hospitals and other facilities will remain in network for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas members, while we continue to work to finalize a longer-term agreement,” the companies said in a joint statement. “Baylor Scott & White and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas share a commitment to the health and well-being of the patients and members we serve.”
The only patients that wouldn’t have been affected would have been those who are already hospitalized or are undergoing treatment. But with this latest deal, those patients won’t have to worry about filing a Continuity of Care form.
Reimbursements, the payment that a health care provider will receive for providing a medical service, have been a frequent issue for health care providers in recent years.
Last year, Blue Cross wrapped up its negotiations with Medical City Healthcare at the last minute over the same issue. The contract between the two was extended for one year. Texas Health Resources and UT Southwestern also asked Blue Cross for $900 million more in reimbursements and eventually reached a deal.
Neither company responded to an interview request from The Dallas Morning News.
Staff writer Uma Bhat contributed to this report.
