HAYS COUNTY — After thousands have waited weeks to know the status of their healthcare options, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) and Ascension Texas have reached an agreement on new contracts.
HAYS COUNTY — After thousands have waited weeks to know the status of their healthcare options, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) and Ascension Texas have reached an agreement on new contracts.
This will allow BCBSTX members to have access to services offered by the major hospital system. Ascension Seton hospitals, surgery centers, doctors and professionals in the Hill Country and Central Texas areas will stay in the Blue Choice PPO, Blue Essentials, Blue Advantage HMO and Medicare Advantage (PPO) networks. They also remain in the Medicare Advantage (HMO) and Medicaid networks, which were not part of this negotiation.
“As a customerowned health insurance industry leader in Texas for more than 90 years, we must protect BCBSTX members’ access to care at fair rates,” said Jim Springfield, BCBSTX president, in a statement released on Monday, Jan. 30. “This new contract reflects our mutual commitment to quality, affordable health care.”
Ascension Texas released a statement on Thursday, Jan. 26, saying that it had reached an agreement with BCBSTX prior to the Jan. 31 deadline.
“Ascension Texas and BCBSTX have reached a new agreement for hospital, hospital-based clinic services and ambulatory surgery centers. This means that the contract for these services will not end on Jan. 31, 2023, and there will be no interruption in access for BCBSTX members who seek care at Ascension facilities,” the Ascension statement said.
“Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas (BCBSTX) members will continue to have in-network access to all Ascension providers, including Ascension Seton, Ascension Providence, hospitalbased clinic services, Dell Children’s Medical Center, Ascension Medical Group practices and select joint-venture facilities,” the statement continued.
However, BCBSTX confirmed that the companies did not reach an agreement until Monday — one day prior to the original contract’s expiration date.
This comes on the heels of Ascension Texas employees facing layoffs.
“The global COVID-19 pandemic has taken a significant operational toll on health systems across the country, and Ascension Texas is no exception,” Ascension said in a statement. “We continue to evolve how we deliver care in this challenging environment and further align our strategies and structure to best support patient care initiatives in order to ensure the long-term strength of our organization as we continue to deliver compassionate, personalized care to all.”
The company added that “every effort was made to minimize the impact on patient care at the bedside and we focused primarily on nonclinical support roles.”
Ascension has Texas locations in Kyle, Waco, Round Rock, Austin and Cedar Park.
According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, Ascension Texas is one of the top 25 employers with the most job postings and in December, more than 1,0000 job postings were reported.
Kyle Economic Development also noted Ascension Seton Hays as a major employer with 500 to 999 employees.