A proposed policy change by the largest insurer in Texas has been put on hold after a big backlash from doctors across the state.
As Houston Public Media reports, Blue Cross Blue Shield had planned to enact a new policy wherein each of the company’s half-a-million statewide HMO members would have to shoulder the full cost of a non-life threatening ER visit if they went out of network.
In response, the Texas Medical Association and 18 other Texas medical societies sent a letter of protest to the Texas Department of Insurance. One major issue the physicians had with the policy, is it encourages ailing and injured Texans to diagnose themselves.
In response to BCBS’s proposed plan, Dr. Alison Haddock, board member of the Texas College of Emergency Physicians, said “No one wants to go to ER. That’s no one’s idea of a great time. But people . . . have the right to come to access our care.” Blue Cross said it’s postponing a decision on the policy until early August.