Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Ascension Texas have reached a new contract agreement, avoiding going out-of-network in a dispute that could have affected 66,000 patients.
"As a customer-owned health insurance industry leader in Texas for more than 90 years, we must protect BCBSTX members’ access to care at fair rates," Jim Springfield, BCBS Texas president, said in a news release. “This new contract reflects our mutual commitment to quality, affordable healthcare."
According to a Jan. 26 news release from St. Louis-based Ascension, there will be no interruption in access to care for patients at Ascension Texas hospitals, including Ascension Providence in Waco, Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin, and Dell Children's Medical Center and Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas in Austin.
The existing contract between BCBS Texas and Ascension was set to expire Feb. 1. Around 66,000 BCBS Texas members accessed care at Ascension locations in the past year, the Austin American Statesman reported.