Blue Cross Texas Blue Advantage HMO to Exit Southwestern Health Resources Network in 2026

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will drop the Blue Advantage HMO plan from the Southwestern Health Resources network starting January 2026. Southwestern Health Resources, which includes major Dallas-Fort Worth systems Texas Health Resources and UT Southwestern, is a significant provider network in North Texas. This change affects individual Marketplace enrollees who currently have the Blue Advantage HMO plan, forcing them to either switch insurance plans or find new medical providers. The plan exit results from contract negotiations between BCBSTX and Southwestern Health Resources earlier in the year, during which a temporary coverage lapse occurred in April 2024. While the entities reached a new agreement restoring many plans to in-network status, the Blue Advantage HMO was set to leave the network starting in 2026, a detail not initially disclosed in public announcements. Both providers have stated that affected patients have been notified, although some patients indicate notifications about the plan exit came only at their provider's office rather than directly from BCBSTX during initial negotiations. Southwestern Health Resources suggests Marketplace enrollees retain providers by switching to MyBlue Health plans or to alternatives such as Ambetter from Superior Healthplan, with open enrollment for Marketplace plans ongoing through January 15, 2025. This network change underscores ongoing challenges in insurer-provider contract negotiations and their downstream effects on patient continuity of care within the Texas insurance market.