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Summer Bryant and her husband, Dylan, are relieved Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas resolved their contract impasse so their 17-month-old, premature daughter, Caroline, can continue receiving her intensive therapy at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Easter photos of Summer Bryant, her husband, Dylan and their 17-month-old daughter, Caroline, are seen in their home, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Montgomery. Summer and her husband are relieved Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas resolved their contract impasse so their daughter, who was born four months premature, can continue receiving her intensive therapy at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.<\/p>\n
Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n
Caroline Bryant spent the first 10 months of her life in an incubator. Born 24 weeks premature in late 2024, the fragile baby developed bacterial meningitis and survived 13 brain surgeries at Children\u2019s Memorial Hermann Hospital<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Her life-saving care cost more than $13 million in medical bills \u2014 most of which were covered under the family’s insurance plan with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. But for the past 10 days, her parents were unsure if she could continue to see the doctors who helped her survive because the health system was no longer in network for their insurance<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Memorial Hermann Health System and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas agreed to a new contract Saturday<\/a> that brought the health system back into the insurer\u2019s network. The sides had failed to agree to a deal before an April 1 deadline, leaving thousands of patients across Houston with commercial or Blue Advantage Marketplace plans facing the possibility of having to pay out of pocket to keep their current providers or switch to new doctors for treatment.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n READ MORE: Memorial Hermann, Blue Cross reach deal to restore in-network coverage for thousands of patients<\/a><\/p>\n The agreement is retroactive to April 1, meaning that any claims processed as out-of-network since then will be reprocessed at in-network rates, Blue Cross Blue Shield said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The agreement is a relief to parents like Summer and Dylan Bryant. Caroline is still receiving highly specialized treatment at Memorial Hermann, so the Montgomery family was anxiously waiting to see whether the health system and insurer would reach a deal before Caroline\u2019s next appointments with her neurologist and neurosurgeon next month.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I had high hopes they would come to an agreement,\u201d Summer Bryant said Saturday. \u201cIt took a little longer, but definitely not as long as it would have been. We\u2019re very thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Summer Bryant plays with her 17-month-old daughter, Caroline, in her room, Thursday, April 9, 2026, in Montgomery. Summer and her husband, Dylan, are relieved Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas resolved their contract impasse so their daughter, who was born four months premature, can continue receiving her intensive therapy at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n Jason Fochtman\/Houston Chronicle<\/p>\n \nUncertainty for patients\u00a0\n<\/p>\n The period of uncertainty highlights how contracts between providers and insurers affect access to health care, and how disruptions can impact patients in myriad ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some patients told the Houston Chronicle they were relieved Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield agreed to a new deal, but they were frustrated by repercussions for their care over the past 10 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mary Clair Lyons, 60, of Houston, was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and scheduled a double mastectomy at Memorial Hermann Cypress Hospital on April 6. The hospital informed her March 31 that she needed to pay $28,000 out of pocket to keep the procedure on the schedule, she said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n READ MORE: Texas has the highest rate of uninsured kids in the U.S., as more than 1 million lack coverage<\/a><\/p>\n She decided to pay, but the hospital canceled the surgery amid the contract dispute, Lyons said. It took a slew of phone calls over several days and help from a friend who is a lawyer to ensure the procedure took place on Monday. \u00a0<\/p>\n Lyons said Saturday that she is confident Blue Cross Blue Shield will reimburse her. But she\u2019s frustrated by the uncertainty, and worries she’ll need to make more phone calls and send more emails to secure a reimbursement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere was just no justification for it,\u201d she said. \u201cNow I have to find out how to get my money back. It\u2019s beyond annoying.\u201d<\/p>\n Memorial Hermann Health System’s flagship Texas Medical Center hospital is visible Friday, April 12, 2024 in\u00a0 Houston. The health system is now out of network for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas members amid a contract dispute.<\/p>\n Kirk Sides\/Staff photographer<\/p>\n \nHospital, insurer reach new deal\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Hospitals and insurers routinely negotiate contracts that set reimbursement rates for medical services, but the sides typically come to an agreement before the older contract expires. Such talks have become more contentious in recent years, though, due to trends such as rising health care costs and consolidation in the industry<\/a>. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Blue Cross Blue Shield accounted for more than 26% of the state\u2019s health and accident insurance market share as of 2024 \u2014 nearly three times more than the second-largest insurer, UnitedHealthcare, according to Texas Department of Insurance data. \u00a0<\/p>\n Memorial Hermann is Houston\u2019s largest health system, with more than 1.8 million patient visits annually across 14 hospitals and hundreds of doctors\u2019 offices and clinics.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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