Is Baylor Scott & White really leaving the Texas marketplace?

Yes. Baylor Scott & White Health Plan is exiting the Texas individual ACA marketplace at the end of 2026. About 100,000 marketplace members — roughly 2.6% of Texas marketplace customers — will need to choose a new insurer for 2027.

When does my Baylor Scott & White marketplace coverage end?

Your current plan stays fully in force through December 31, 2026, and claims are paid normally through that date — same benefits, same network. Nothing changes mid-year. The exit affects plan year 2027: there won't be a Baylor Scott & White option when you shop for January coverage.

Does this affect Baylor Scott & White's Medicaid plans too?

Yes, but on a different timeline. Baylor Scott & White is also exiting Texas Medicaid — about 125,000 people, roughly 3.5% of the state's Medicaid enrollees — and those Medicaid plans ended in August 2026. If you're a Medicaid member, the state handles your transition separately from the marketplace process described in this guide.

Can I keep seeing Baylor Scott & White doctors and hospitals?

Possibly — but only if your new plan includes them in network, and that varies plan by plan. The Baylor Scott & White health system (the hospitals and doctors) isn't going anywhere; it's the insurance plan that's ending. Before you enroll, check each candidate plan's provider directory for your specific BSW doctors and facilities. Directories change every year, so verify for 2027 specifically, not from memory.

What happens if I do nothing?

You won't be left uninsured automatically — HealthCare.gov may 'crosswalk' you into a plan from a different insurer that a formula considers similar to your Baylor Scott & White plan. But that replacement can have a completely different provider network, drug list, and price — and there's no guarantee it includes BSW providers. Treat the crosswalk as a backstop, not a recommendation.

When can I pick my replacement plan?

Open Enrollment runs November 1, 2026 through January 15, 2027. Enroll by December 15, 2026 for coverage that starts January 1, 2027 with no gap. You'll also receive a discontinuation letter from Baylor Scott & White this fall — that's your official notice.

Is Cigna also leaving the Texas marketplace?

Yes. Texas is losing two carriers at once for 2027: Baylor Scott & White and Cigna, whose full 11-state marketplace exit affects roughly 369,000 people nationally. That means fewer options in many Texas counties and more households shopping at the same time — another reason to compare plans early rather than waiting.

Why is Baylor Scott & White leaving?

It's part of an industry-wide retreat. Enhanced premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, and at least a dozen insurers are exiting or shrinking their ACA footprints for 2027. In Texas, 2027 individual-market rates are rising about 14.1% on average. It's a business decision about the market — not about your claims, which are paid normally through December 31, 2026.

Baylor Scott & White Is Leaving the Texas Marketplace: 2027 Options for 100,000 Members

Quick Answer: What Baylor Scott & White Members Need to Know

Your marketplace plan stays fully in force through December 31, 2026, and claims are paid normally until then — nothing changes mid-year. Baylor Scott & White Health Plan will not offer individual marketplace plans in Texas for 2027, so you'll need to choose a new insurer during Open Enrollment (November 1 – January 15; enroll by December 15 for January 1 coverage). Because this is a provider-owned plan, the big question is whether your replacement will still include Baylor Scott & White doctors and hospitals in network — check each plan's provider directory before you enroll instead of accepting whatever the marketplace maps you into.

What Baylor Scott & White Announced

Baylor Scott & White Health Plan — the insurance arm of the Baylor Scott & White health system — is exiting the Texas individual ACA marketplace at the end of 2026. Here's the scope:

About 100,000 marketplace members — roughly 2.6% of Texas marketplace customers — need new plans for 2027
Marketplace coverage and claims continue normally through December 31, 2026
Separately, the company is exiting Texas Medicaid (about 125,000 people, roughly 3.5% of the state's Medicaid enrollees); those plans ended in August 2026 and the state handles that transition

This guide focuses on the marketplace exit, because that's the one where you personally pick the replacement. And Baylor Scott & White isn't alone: at least a dozen insurers are exiting or shrinking their ACA footprints for 2027, in a market reshaped by the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits at the end of 2025. For the full national picture, see our guide to insurer exits in 2027.

First, the Reassurance: Nothing Changes in 2026

If you have a Baylor Scott & White marketplace plan right now, keep using it exactly as you have been. Your benefits, your network, and your costs are unchanged through December 31, 2026, and claims are paid normally the whole way. You don't need to cancel anything, and you shouldn't drop coverage early. The only thing that changes is what happens when you shop for January: there won't be a Baylor Scott & White option on the shelf.

Why This Exit Stings More Than Most

When a national carrier leaves a state, members mostly shop on price and network like any other year. Baylor Scott & White is different: it's a provider-owned plan. Many members picked it specifically because it guaranteed access to the Baylor Scott & White health system — the hospitals, clinics, and doctors across Texas that share its name.

The health system itself isn't going anywhere. But your next insurance plan may or may not include Baylor Scott & White doctors and hospitals in its network. Some carriers in your county may contract with BSW facilities; others may not; and a carrier that includes a BSW hospital in one plan may exclude it in another. Provider directories also change from year to year, so what was in network for 2026 is not a reliable guide to 2027. The only safe move is to check each candidate plan's 2027 provider directory for your specific doctors and facilities — by name, per plan — before you enroll. If keeping your BSW cardiologist or delivering at a BSW hospital is the reason you bought this plan, make that the first filter in your search, ahead of premium.

The Double Exit: Texas Is Losing Cigna Too

Texas marketplace shoppers are absorbing two departures at once. Cigna is also leaving the Texas marketplace for 2027 as part of its full exit from all 11 states where it sells individual plans — a move affecting roughly 369,000 people nationally. Two carriers leaving the same state in the same year means fewer options in many counties and a lot of Texans shopping for replacements at the same time.

It also lands in an expensive year: Texas 2027 individual-market rates are rising about 14.1% on average. That makes active comparison shopping worth more than usual — the gap between the best and worst deal in your county tends to widen when every carrier repriced. For a broader look at what's available in the state, see our Texas health insurance guide.

What the Discontinuation Letter Means

This fall, Baylor Scott & White marketplace members receive a discontinuation letter. It's official notice — required by law — that your plan won't be offered in 2027. It is not a bill, not a cancellation of your current coverage, and not a sales pitch. It confirms your plan runs through December 31, 2026, and tells you to pick new coverage during Open Enrollment. Don't throw it out: it documents your situation if anything about your transition is ever questioned.

The auto-crosswalk trap

If you do nothing, the marketplace may "crosswalk" you into a plan from a different insurer that a matching formula considers similar to your Baylor Scott & White plan. You won't wake up uninsured — but for BSW members this default is riskier than usual, because the formula matches on plan design, not on whether the new network includes Baylor Scott & White providers. You could be mapped into a plan with a different network, a different drug list, and a different price — and none of your BSW doctors in it. The crosswalk is a safety net, not a recommendation. This is the year not to auto-renew or auto-accept anything — verify any plan you're mapped into, or better, choose for yourself.

How to Pick Your Replacement Plan

Losing a plan you chose on purpose is frustrating, but the replacement process is manageable if you work from your own needs instead of the marketplace's default match:

List your must-keep providers first: every Baylor Scott & White doctor, hospital, and clinic your household uses, plus every prescription. This list — not premium — is your first filter.
Check which carriers include BSW facilities in network: search each candidate plan's 2027 provider directory by doctor and facility name. Verify per plan, not per carrier — the same insurer can include BSW in one network and exclude it in another.
Check the drug formulary: your medications may sit in different tiers on a new plan, which can change your out-of-pocket costs more than the premium difference does.
Compare every carrier, not just the crosswalk match: with two insurers leaving Texas and rates up about 14.1% on average, the formula's pick is rarely the best deal in your county.
Enroll by December 15: that's what guarantees your new plan starts January 1 — the day after your Baylor Scott & White plan ends.

Losing Your Baylor Scott & White Plan? Find Your Replacement

Our licensed advisors can compare your current plan's benefits — including which 2027 plans in your county list Baylor Scott & White providers in network — against every carrier available in your area, and help you enroll before the December 15 deadline. No cost, no obligation.

Get Your Free Quote Talk to an Advisor

Your Timeline From Here

Now through October: Watch your mail for the discontinuation letter, and start your list of must-keep BSW doctors, facilities, and prescriptions.
Late October: Window-shopping typically opens on HealthCare.gov — preview 2027 plans and prices in your county, and start checking provider directories.
November 1: Open Enrollment begins. You can enroll in any plan available in your area — the exit doesn't limit your choices.
December 15: The deadline that matters. Enroll by this date and your new coverage starts January 1, 2027 — zero gap after your Baylor Scott & White plan ends December 31.
January 15: Open Enrollment closes. Enrollments after December 15 generally start February 1, which means a month-long gap after your coverage ends.

The Bottom Line

Baylor Scott & White's exit hits harder than a typical carrier departure because so many of its 100,000 marketplace members chose the plan for its health system. The system's doctors and hospitals remain — the question is which 2027 plans in your county include them in network, and the only way to know is to check directories plan by plan. Your coverage runs through December 31 no matter what. Between November 1 and December 15, choose a replacement actively, against your own list of providers and medications, and you start January 1 with no gap. The only losing move is letting the crosswalk choose for you.