Health Care Service Corporation, known as HCSC, is shrinking its Medicare Advantage footprint for 2027 to 478 counties in 24 states, down from 948 counties in 30 states and Washington, D.C. HCSC is the parent of Blue Cross Blue Shield in Texas, Illinois, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Montana. About 127,000 of its roughly 800,000 Medicare Advantage members are affected, according to Becker’s Payer Issues.
What HCSC is cutting
For 2026, HCSC said in a Sept. 10, 2025 release that it would offer Medicare Advantage plans in 948 counties across 30 states and D.C. That was an expansion that followed its March 2025 Medicare business acquisition. A year later, Becker’s reports, the footprint is down to about half.
The cuts differ by state. Blue-branded Medicare Advantage plans are being dropped in Texas and Oklahoma, and HCSC is leaving the Medicare Advantage market in Montana altogether. In Illinois, the service area is being narrowed…