Coverage at risk for 30,000 across West Texas as Texas Tech Healthcare Center considers terminating UnitedHealthcare agreement by the end of the month.
30-thousand patients in West Texas and the Permian Basin are at risk of losing healthcare coverage by the end of the month.
On Monday, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center and Texas Tech Physicians announced they issued a notice of termination to insurance provider, UnitedHealthcare, over an agreement on coverage options for patients in the region.
The termination of coverage from UnitedHealthcare could impact up to 30,000 patients across more than 700 TTP providers across West Texas and the Panhandle regions if an agreement is not reached before March 31.
In a release on Monday, the University’s Healthcare center announced that it had issued a final notice of termination to the insurance provider unless an agreement is able to be reached before the end of the month.
The statement says that due to the rising cost of healthcare, TTP and UnitedHealthcare have been in discussion about coverage plans in the Lubbock, Amarillo, and Permian Basin campuses since 2025.
The two have operated with the same agreement outline for 13 years.
TTP Executive Director, Martin Clay said in the release, “The decision to terminate is primarily due to disagreements over reimbursement rates amid the rising cost of patient care. Healthcare costs have risen significantly in the last 13 years while TTP’s reimbursement rates with UHC have remained constant.”
“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, UnitedHealthcare has not yet offered any responses to our proposals that we can reasonably accept,” Clay said.
Clay also said that the well-being of patients is a priority and will continue to provide care, even to those impacted by the coverage termination.
The healthcare provider is advising patients to stay updated on the status of negotiations and to continue to review their healthcare options.