Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Scott & White of Temple, Sign Agreement Providing Blue Cross Members Network Access.

TEMPLE, Texas -- More than 20,000 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas Members in Bell County and 320,000 Members in Surrounding Counties to Benefit from New Addition to Extensive Blue Cross PPO Network

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic officials announced today that they have signed an agreement to provide network access to more than 20,000 Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas members in Bell County and over 320,000 members in surrounding counties. The agreement extends the benefits of Scott & White's integrated health system, physicians, facilities and academic medical center to area Blue Cross members, effective Jan. 1, 2006.

"This agreement allows us to achieve one of our main goals for our members -- expanding our network of conveniently located participating facilities and providers and providing even greater access to cost-effective, quality care," says Pat Hemingway Hall, president, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. "We are very pleased to have signed a contract which reflects that goal and expands even further the BlueChoice PPO network, which consists of more than 40,000 physicians and other professional providers at over 350 hospitals across the state."

Scott & White President and CEO Dr. Alfred Knight said the landmark agreement represents a long-anticipated goal that will give more patients ready access to Scott & White's quality services.

"This agreement will benefit many people in the communities surrounding our 14 regional clinics," Dr. Knight said. "Blue Cross members already go out of network, turning to Scott & White for our nationally acclaimed care and our select group of physician specialists. This agreement, which adds more than 500 Scott & White doctors as BlueChoice preferred providers, will result in more benefits and fewer out of pocket costs."

For more than 100 years, Scott & White has offered high quality, specialized care to the people of Central Texas. As the area reaps the benefits of explosive growth, Scott & White is adding nearly 600,000 square feet of space to its Temple campus with the Center for Advanced Medicine and Center for Diagnostic Medicine. The healthcare system has also committed to expanding its care in Williamson County, with a 75-bed hospital and medical office building under construction at the University Medical Campus in Round Rock.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is the only statewide, non-investor-owned health coverage provider in Texas, working with more than 40,000 network physicians and 350 network hospitals to meet the health care needs of 4 million members in all 254 counties. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas is a division of Health Care Service Corporation, a Mutual Legal Reserve Company, an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.