Where you receive your care, and from whom, should not be dictated by your insurance plan.
For more than 118 years, Memorial Hermann Health System has proudly served our community, providing personalized, compassionate and high-quality care. Whether in our hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, outpatient clinics or urgent care centers, the Greater Houston community trusts us, and we take that very seriously.
Twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year, Memorial Hermann employees and providers come to work with one shared purpose: to improve the health of all those we serve. Fulfilling that mission depends on patients and the community being able to receive care from caregivers they know and trust.
April 1, 2026 – Update on Blue Cross Blue Shield Texas (BCBSTX)
Despite nearly eight months of our best efforts to negotiate fair and reasonable terms, we have not yet reached an agreement with BCBSTX.
Subsequently, effective today, Memorial Hermann Health System is out-of-network with BCBSTX for Commercial and Blue Advantage Marketplace plans. This means that Memorial Hermann facilities and affiliated physicians are unable to accept any BCBSTX and out-of-state BCBS plans for patients accessing the local BCBSTX networks.
Memorial Hermann proactively notified BCBSTX of our intent to renegotiate in August 2025, nearly eight months in advance of our contracts’ termination date.
BCBSTX has a national and statewide playbook of asking for unreasonable demands while dragging out negotiations to the last minute in an attempt to force health systems to accept reimbursement rates and contract language that ignore the financial realities facing health systems today, jeopardizing continuity of care and creating unnecessary anxiety for the patients and families who depend on us for their care. This approach has been deployed recently against several other Texas health systems, including Ascension Seton, Christus, Covenant Health, Southwestern Health Resources, Baylor Scott and White, and Hendricks Regional Health to name a few – all of whom BCBSTX eventually agreed to terms with after negotiations went public.
As a not-for-profit health system, Memorial Hermann invests financial and community resources in the pursuit of high-quality patient care, state-of-the-art medical education and research, and improving the health and wellbeing of the Greater Houston community.
We remain committed to serving our community and urge BCBSTX to negotiate a good faith proposal that values patients, respects caregivers and preserves access to care.
How You Can Advocate for Your Care
Memorial Hermann will continue to fight on your behalf, but we cannot do it alone – we need your help.
We encourage you to call the number on the back of your BCBSTX Member ID card and tell them you want Memorial Hermann to be in-network again. Share how important access to your doctors and care teams are to you and your family.
If applicable, you may also contact your employer’s Human Resources department to express how important access to Memorial Hermann is to you.
Continuity of Care
If you are pregnant or being treated for a disability, acute condition, or life-threatening illness, you may qualify as a continuity-of-care patient and be able to receive care at Memorial Hermann at in-network rates with BCBSTX, or your out-of-state BCBS plan, despite our contract being terminated.
To Determine If You Are Eligible:
- Complete a Continuity of Care Request Form or contact the number on your BCBSTX member ID card.
- Fax the completed form to the number provided on the form or submit as any out-of-state BCBS plan requires.
- BCBSTX or the applicable out-of-state BCBS plan may contact you or your provider for additional information.
Frequently Asked Questions
In August 2025, Memorial Hermann began negotiating with BCBSTX for new hospital, ancillary, and physician network contracts, which impact the PPO/POS, HMO and Blue Advantage Marketplace networks.
Despite nearly eight months of our best efforts to negotiate fair and reasonable terms, we have not yet reached an agreement with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX).
Therefore, effective April 1, Memorial Hermann facilities and physicians are out of network with BCBSTX for Commercial and Blue Advantage Marketplace plans.
At this time, Memorial Hermann facilities and affiliated physicians are unable to accept BCBSTX Commercial / Marketplace patients regardless of whether out-of-network benefits are available.
Patients who are members of an exempted employer group are also temporarily excluded. Currently, these exempted employer groups include the UT System, State of Texas Employees’ Retirement System, State of Texas Teacher Retirement System and Texas A&M groups. These members will have continued access to Memorial Hermann facilities and affiliated physicians, at in-network benefit levels and at previously contracted rates for a 30-day period through April 30.
Patients seeking emergency medical care should continue to seek treatment at any of Memorial Hermann’s hospitals and/or Emergency Centers.
Additionally, if you are pregnant or being treated for a disability, acute condition or life-threatening illness, you may qualify as a Continuity of Care patient and be able to receive care at Memorial Hermann at in-network rates with BCBSTX.
To Determine If You Are Eligible:
- Complete a Continuity of Care Request Form or contact the number on your BCBSTX member ID card.
- Fax the completed form to the number provided on the form or submit as any out-of-state BCBS plan requires.
- BCBSTX or the applicable out-of-state BCBS plan may contact you or your provider for additional information.
Effective April 1, Memorial Hermann is out of network with BCBSTX for Commercial and Blue Advantage Marketplace plans.
All Memorial Hermann hospitals, facilities, clinics, and affiliated physicians are impacted and unable to accept BCBSTX Commercial and Blue Advantage Marketplace patients or members of out-of-state BCBS plans accessing the BCBSTX networks of participating providers regardless of whether out-of-network benefits are available.
This does not impact patients with Continuity of Care approvals or patients receiving emergent care.
Additionally, patients who are members of an exempted employer group are also temporarily excluded. Currently, these exempted employer groups include the UT System, State of Texas Employees’ Retirement System, State of Texas Teacher Retirement System and Texas A&M groups. These members will have continued access to Memorial Hermann facilities and affiliated physicians, at in-network benefit levels and at previously contracted rates through April 30
Patients seeking emergency medical care should continue to seek treatment at any of Memorial Hermann’s hospitals and/or Emergency Centers.
BCBSTX products in the following networks are impacted: PPO/POS, HMO, and Blue Advantage Marketplace networks. Additionally, out-of-state BCBS plans are impacted resulting from their access to BCBSTX networks for participating providers.
While we continue to work toward reaching a fair and reasonable agreement with BCBSTX, we have implemented a one-time-only, 30-day contract extension for a select group of employers through April 30.
Currently, those employers include the UT System, State of Texas Employees’ Retirement System, State of Texas Teacher Retirement System and Texas A&M groups.
These members will have continued access to Memorial Hermann facilities and affiliated physicians, at in-network benefit levels and at previously contracted rates through April 30.
Our priority remains on reaching a mutually beneficial agreement that supports our patients, providers, and the sustainability of our health care services. As negotiations continue, select employers have reached out and asked for BCBSTX coverage to be extended for their employees for an additional thirty (30) days. In discussing these inquiries with BCBSTX, we have jointly agreed to accept these limited extensions.
No. Members of out-of-state BCBS plans cannot access BCBSTX networks of participating providers regardless of whether out-of-network benefits are available.
No. Memorial Hermann facilities and affiliated physicians will not accept BCBSTX Commercial / Marketplace patients with out-of-network benefits resulting from our ongoing challenges with BCBSTX. This does not impact patients with Continuity of Care approvals and/or our patients requiring emergent care. Additionally, if our patients choose to self-pay for non-emergent, elective services, we will work with you individually within the context of our Good Faith Estimate activities to provide requested information and/or to support you with resources as applicable.
To stay up to date on our negotiations and learn more about how you can make your voice heard, please continue to check back here for the latest developments.
No, Memorial Hermann is currently out-of-network with BCBSTX, and this will only impact those patients who have a BCBSTX or an out-of-state BCBS insurance plan and access the BCBSTX provider networks. Please contact the Member Services number on the back of your plan Member ID Card to determine if your plan is impacted.
Contact Us
This website will provide our patients and community with the most up-to-date information regarding our negotiations with BCBSTX. If you did not find the information you need or have questions about the ongoing negotiations with BCBSTX and how your care may be impacted, please email ManagedCareBCBSTX@memorialhermann.org.