Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

Results for Blue Promise

BCBSTX Connect Team
- May 24, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Are Rural Hospitals a Target for Pass-Through Billing?

Something called “pass-through billing” is driving up the cost of your health care. In this edition of Blue Promise, we describe pass-through billing, identify efforts to address the problem and share how you can make a difference. If...
- 18 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- May 22, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: The Unusual Impact of UCR Charges (Part 2)

Texas government mandates that private health insurers pay health care providers according to “usual and customary reimbursement” charges. But how can we ensure that patients are not victims of a situation outside their control? Lee Spangler...
- 21 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- May 22, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: The Unusual Impact of UCR Charges (Part 1)

Health insurance is a highly regulated industry. One of its unique aspects includes “Usual and Customary Reimbursement” charges, mandated in the state of Texas. Lee Spangler, Vice President of Government Relations at Blue Cross and Blue...
- 20 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- March 19, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Small Towns Have Big Health Care Concerns (Part 2)

Texas is home to some of the most advanced health care in the world. Unfortunately, the most rural parts of our state struggle to receive health care services at all. So what's being done about it? In this Blue Promise conversation, Dr. Nancy...
- 120 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- March 19, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Small Towns Have Big Health Care Concerns (Part 1)

Of the 254 counties in Texas, more than two-thirds are deemed "rural" by the Texas Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of State Health Services. There are increasing challenges to accessing health care in these communities...
- 110 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- March 19, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Are Insurance Networks Really Necessary?

Health insurance networks come in all shapes and sizes. But are they really necessary? In this Blue Promise conversation, two experts from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas offer their insights to the purpose and value of networks -- Shara McClure...
- 129 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- March 12, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Is Price Gouging Legal?

Seeking medical care during emergencies shouldn’t put people at risk for bankruptcy. However, Texans are continuously charged exorbitant prices in the midst of their most vulnerable moments – during an emergency medical situation. In...
- 129 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- February 13, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: The Purpose of Price Tags

As health care costs continue to rise, Texans are feeling more and more pressure to be savvy spenders. But how is that possible when they can’t see the price tags attached to their health care services? This panel of experts includes two Blue...
- 288 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- February 13, 2019
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Why are Texans Being Hit with Surprise Medical Bills?

Would you pay $3,000 to treat a cough? Many health care patients already have. Texans continue to face sticker shock like this after receiving surprise medical bills at freestanding emergency rooms. In this episode, BCBSTX's DSVP of Health Care...
- 226 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- October 16, 2018
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: The Cost of Health Care in the US

Why are health care costs in the U.S. so much more expensive than health costs in comparable countries around the world? Dr. McCoy discusses how we can contain these runaway costs with Dr. Paul Hain, BCBSTX North Texas Market President, and co-host...
- 539 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- October 5, 2018
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: How Do Hospitals Make Money? Part 2

Join us for the second part of our discussion about hospital business models and the price you pay for health care. The panel for this segment includes Shara McClure, DSVP of Texas Health Care Delivery, David Cripe, DVP of Network Management, and...
- 469 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- October 5, 2018
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: How Do Hospitals Make Money? Part 1

We all know hospitals provide important medical services in our communities, but do you know how they make their money? Join Dr. McCoy for this Blue Promise discussion to learn more about the price you pay when you access health care at a hospital...
- 471 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- September 26, 2018
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Upcoding

What are 'upcoding' and ‘bundling’ and how can they affect the price you pay for health care? In this Blue Promise, a panel of experts discusses two leading drivers for the rising cost of health care. This discussion includes...
- 571 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- September 11, 2018
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Consolidation in Health Care Delivery Part 2

Why do physicians want to join a hospital-based practice and how can we empower them to remain independent? Dr. McCoy talks about the importance of keeping physicians independent with Dr. Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University's Baker...
- 561 Views
BCBSTX Connect Team
- September 11, 2018
- In the Texas Community
- Blue Promise
Blue Promise: Consolidation in Health Care Delivery Part 1

Independent and hospital-based physicians all wear the same white coats. How can the average consumer tell the difference and what are the implications for health care costs? This edition features Dr. Vivian Ho, a health economist at Rice University's...
- 551 Views