What Is Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas?
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) is one of 35 independent and locally-owned licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) that provides health insurance to millions of Americans.1 Across the independent companies, the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) parent company provides 1 in 3 Americans with health coverage.1 BCBSTX is a statewide customer-owned company that has provided health coverage to Texans for more than 90 years.2
BCBSTX provides different types of health care plans, including individual and family plans, and Medicaid and Medicare plans.3 The BCBSTX network includes nearly 80,000 physicians and practitioners and 500 hospitals.3
Does Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Cover Addiction Rehab Treatment?
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) is committed to improving the affordability and quality of all types of care, including mental health.4 To recognize facilities and providers that match the same commitment to affordable, quality care, BCBS created the Blue Distinction list.5 Blue Distinction Centers for Substance Use Treatment and Recovery also takes BCBSTX. Therefore, if you have BCBSTX and attend a named facility, you may be able to receive full or partial coverage for addiction treatment in Texas or out of state at little to no cost to you.6
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), the federal health care reform law, requires a set of 10 essential health benefits (EHBs) to be covered in some capacity by almost all health plans.7 Behavioral and mental health services are considered to be 1 of the 10 EHBs.7 This means that your BCBSTX plan must provide some type of coverage for treatment for substance use disorder (e.g., rehab), inpatient treatment for mental and behavioral health disorders, and treatment for behavioral health disorders.8 Although coverage in some capacity is required, this does not mean or guarantee that all treatments will be fully or partially covered under your specific plan.