United Way of the Brazos Valley youth leadership cabinet members Jyotsna Naidu of College Station High School and Jesse Mason of College View High School, along with UWBV communications manager Kat Gammon, visit with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
Listen to “United Way of the Brazos Valley update, February 17 2020” on Spreaker.
Baylor Scott & White Health has established a website about its negotiations with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas to continue in-network coverage. The plans that are included in this negotiation, according to the website, are Baylor Scott & White’s: ParPlan Blue Choice PPO Blue Essentials Blue Advantage HMO Blue Premier / High Performance Networks (HPN) Blue Cross Medicare Advantage (PPO) Blue Cross Medicare Advantage (HMO) Managed Medicaid STAR Kids Baylor Scott & White’s BCBSTX Medicare supplement plans are not included in this negotiation. This negotiation, according to the website, impacts all Baylor Scott & White locations, “including hospitals, urgent care, imaging centers, ambulatory surgery centers and free-standing clinics”. The website says “Patients should continue to visit Baylor Scott & White hospitals, facilities, and providers as they normally would through the month of June. If an agreement is not reached by July 1, 2024, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) will be considered out of network for care delivered by Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH) doctors or facilities for most BCSBTX members. This could mean increased costs for BCBSTX patients who want to continue receiving care from a Baylor Scott & White Health facility or provider.” The website also says “The agreement between Baylor Scott & White Health and BCBSTX currently will end on July 1, 2024. If a new agreement is not reached prior to that date, and if you are unable to obtain a Continuity of Care exception through BCBSTX, services provided after this date will be considered out of network, and your BCBSTX benefits may not cover your care. Baylor Scott & White can assist you in scheduling your visits in advance of July 1, 2024, and we appreciate your flexibility.” For patients receiving treatment for a special condition on or after the date the agreement ends, the website says “If an agreement is not reached by July 1, 2024, some services may still be covered for a short period of time if they already began and are not yet complete; however, we strongly encourage patients to discuss their care plan with their medical team. Certain patients, including those who are hospitalized or undergoing an active course of treatment before the contract end date, may qualify for Continuity of Care through BCBSTX. If you think you may qualify, call the phone number on the back of your BCBSTX health insurance card today to request a Continuity of Care form and apply.” For patients who have an elective procedure scheduled at a Baylor Scott & White facility on or after the date the agreement ends, the website says “If an agreement is not reached by July 1, 2024, you will need to obtain a Continuity of Care exception through BCBSTX; Otherwise, services provided after this date will be considered out of network and your out-of-pocket costs may be greater.” For patients who experience a medical emergency on or after the date the agreement ends, and Baylor Scott & White is out of network, the website says “If you experience a medical emergency, you should always visit the nearest emergency department. BCBSTX will pay for services you receive to evaluate and stabilize an emergency medical condition regardless of whether your care is received from an in-network or out-of-network emergency department.” Statement from Baylor Scott & White Health: Baylor Scott & White Health is negotiating a new contract to cover care for patients with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) health insurance. Currently, patients with BCBSTX plans have in-network coverage with our providers and facilities, and we are working to reach a new agreement before July 1, 2024, to keep BCBSTX plan holders in-network. Our patients are our top priority, and we are working to minimize any potential disruptions. For more information, please visit www.BSWHealth.com/BCBSTX
Governor Abbott has ordered Texas public universities and community colleges to “ignore” the president’s rewrite of the Title IX federal law, which protects women against discrimination in any educational program or activity that receives federal funding. Click HERE to read and download the governor’s letter to public universities and community colleges. Abbott says the president wants to force every school to accept every student’s self-declared gender identity. The governor’s letter that was sent Wednesday (May 8) comes the week after sending the same instruction to the Texas Education Agency. WTAW News received this response to the governor’s letter from Texas A&M, which was a message sent to all A&M system campuses the day before the governor’s letter: “Texas A&M complies with all federal and state laws and regulations, as well as Texas A&M System policy. The recent updates to Title IX regulations will require extensive changes to our current operations, and our AVP of Title IX Compliance appropriately initiated steps toward the need to comply with a new federal regulation that goes into effect on Aug. 1. She worked with the Texas A&M System Title IX Compliance Office to begin this process. No changes have been made at this point – only efforts to begin preparing for the necessary changes. On May 7, Texas A&M University received guidance from The Texas A&M University System notifying us that both the regulations and the legal challenge filed by Attorney General Paxton are under review to determine the System’s course of action going forward, and additional information will be provided soon.” WTAW News received this response to the governor’s letter from Blinn College: “We continue to monitor the developments on the proposed Title IX regulations.” WTAW News has also requested statements from the Bryan and College Station school districts. News release from the governor’s office: Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to Texas’ public university systems and community colleges directing them to not comply with President Joe Biden’s recent revision of Title IX and to refrain from implementing any new system-wide policy related to this revision. “As I have already made clear, Texas will not comply with President Joe Biden’s rewrite of Title IX that contradicts the original purpose and spirit of the law to support the advancement of women,” reads the letter. “Last week, I instructed the Texas Education Agency to ignore President Biden’s illegal dictate of Title IX. Today, I am instructing every public college and university in the State of Texas to do the same. I signed laws to ensure the safety of our students on campus and provide a process for adjudicating reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault with adequate due process for all parties involved, as well as laws to protect the integrity of women’s sports by prohibiting men from competing against female athletes—and I will not let President Biden erase the advancements Texas has made.” The Governor sent the letter to Texas A&M University System, Texas Southern University, Texas State University System, Texas Tech University System, Texas Women’s University System, University of Houston System, University of North Texas System, and University of Texas System, as well as Texas’ community colleges. Last year, the Governor signed the Save Women’s Sports Act into law to protect the integrity of fair competition and women’s sports by prohibiting biological men from competing against female athletes at Texas colleges and universities. In 2021, Governor Abbott signed a similar law to protect girls’ sports in Texas public schools. Governor Abbott signed Senate Bills 968 and 969 in 2017 and Senate Bill 212 and House Bill 1735 in 2019 to address student safety and adjudication processes for reports of sexual harassment and sexual assault on college campuses.
Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez visits with WTAW’s Chelsea Reber about the B/CS Chamber of Commerce trip to Washington D.C., recent flooding in the Brazos Valley, the Big Barn Dance, and more during his appearance on The Infomaniacs on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. Listen to “Bryan Mayor Bobby Gutierrez on The Infomaniacs” on Spreaker.
Bryan Broadcasting Corporation