Reviewed by the Evolve Health clinical team · 2026-10-17 · 8 min read
Clinically reviewed by the Evolve Health clinical team — October 2026
Every article is checked by the clinicians who care for patients at Evolve Health in Denton. Meet the care team →
Quick answer
HealthSelect of Texas is the ERS health plan for UNT and TWU employees and retirees, administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. It asks you to designate one primary care provider (PCP), and your in-network primary care — plus referrals to specialists — runs through that clinician. Evolve Health is in-network with HealthSelect of Texas, and our clinicians can serve as your designated PCP: use PCP ID H08VP03401 or H08VP03301 when you designate. In-network preventive care like your annual physical is generally covered at $0, and we verify your exact coverage free — from your insurance card, photo ID, and date of birth — before your visit.
The questions we hear from university employees follow a pattern: "I just started at UNT — do I have to pick a doctor, or can I just go somewhere?" "What happens if I need a specialist?" "Is the physical really free?" HealthSelect is a strong plan once you understand its one organizing idea — a designated PCP who coordinates your care. This guide walks through that idea, the steps to set it up, and what it means for your wallet, using Denton's two universities as the home example.
Who has HealthSelect here in Denton?
HealthSelect of Texas is the health plan for members of the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) — state agency staff, higher-education employees, and retirees. It is administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, which is why your card carries both names. In Denton, the HealthSelect community is anchored by the University of North Texas — one of the city's largest employers — and Texas Woman's University, plus state employees and retired state workers across Denton County. If your paycheck or pension comes from the State of Texas, this is almost certainly your plan; your member card will say HealthSelect on it. Evolve Health is in-network with HealthSelect of Texas, and our clinic on Lillian Miller Pkwy is a short drive from both campuses — with weekday hours from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, so a visit can fit before your workday starts.
The one rule that runs the plan: your designated PCP
Unlike an open-access plan, HealthSelect asks each member to name a designated primary care provider. That clinician is your home base: your physicals, sick visits, chronic-care check-ins, and lab work run through them, and when you need a specialist, the path generally starts there too. It is a coordination model, not a restriction for its own sake — one clinician who knows your history orders the right tests, keeps your medications in one list, and makes sure a specialist visit comes with your records attached. The practical catch is that in-network primary care works the way the plan intends when your designation is actually in place, so it is worth setting up before you need care rather than during a sick week. Our clinicians hold designated-PCP status with HealthSelect, and our HealthSelect page lists the details: when you designate, use PCP ID H08VP03401 or H08VP03301.
How to designate — or change — your PCP
Designating a PCP takes a few minutes, and you have two routes:
- By phone: call the customer care number on the back of your HealthSelect card and ask to designate your PCP — give them PCP ID H08VP03401 or H08VP03301 for Evolve Health.
- Online: log in to your HealthSelect account through the plan's member site, find the primary care provider section, and choose Evolve Health using the same PCP IDs.
- Confirm the start date: your plan will tell you when the designation takes effect — if you are booking a first visit, mention that you have just designated us and we will confirm everything is in place before you come in.
New UNT and TWU hires usually meet this step during onboarding; if you skipped it, you can designate at any time, and you can change your designation later the same way if you move or your needs change. And if any step is confusing, call us at (940) 257-2002 — we walk employees through this regularly and are happy to help.
What your PCP handles here — and what gets referred
Most of the care a working adult needs in a year happens at the PCP level. At Evolve Health, your HealthSelect plan can cover:
- Annual physicals and adult wellness checks
- Same-day sick visits — colds, flu, strep, UTIs, rashes and more, in person in Denton or by video anywhere in Texas
- Chronic disease management — ongoing care for diabetes, blood pressure, thyroid, and cholesterol
- Labs & screening — blood work, STI screening, TB screening, and titer testing
- Women's health — well-woman care, birth control consults, and screenings
- Mental health care — evaluation, treatment, and ongoing support as part of your primary care
When something needs a specialist's tools — a cardiologist's stress test, a dermatologist's procedure, an orthopedist's imaging review — your PCP's job is to make that hand-off clean: the referral, your history, and your results go with you, and the specialist's notes come back to the clinician coordinating your care.
Referrals, in plain terms
Here is the general rule of thumb for HealthSelect: specialist care typically connects to a referral from your designated PCP. Showing up at a specialist without that step can mean the visit is not covered the way you expected, so the safe sequence is PCP first, specialist second. The details — which services need a referral, how long a referral lasts, and any exceptions — live in your plan documents and can vary by plan variant and situation, so confirm the current requirement with member services or your plan materials when it matters. As your PCP, coordinating referrals is simply part of what we do: if a problem needs a specialist, we will tell you, send the referral with your records, and stay in the loop on the results.
What you'll actually pay: copays, coinsurance, and the $0 physical
HealthSelect comes in a few variants, and your cost-sharing — the copay, deductible, and coinsurance your plan applies — is set by the variant you are enrolled in and the documents ERS issues for it. We will not guess at a figure here, because the honest answer is that it is printed in your plan materials and on file with member services. Two things we can say plainly:
- Preventive care is the $0 part. An in-network annual physical billed as preventive is generally covered at $0 under HealthSelect. The visit can pick up cost-sharing if it turns diagnostic — evaluating a new problem at the same appointment, for instance. Our guide "Is My Annual Physical Really $0?" explains the preventive-vs.-diagnostic line in plain language.
- Everything else is confirmed before your visit. Bring us your insurance card, photo ID, and date of birth, and we verify your exact coverage free and tell you what applies — before you are seen, not after.
Two notes: mental health and care away from home
Mental health. HealthSelect includes behavioral-health benefits, and because your PCP already coordinates the rest of your care, primary care is a reasonable first door: Evolve Health offers mental health evaluation, treatment, and ongoing support, and can connect you with your plan's behavioral-health resources when a specialist is the better fit. The specifics of your behavioral-health coverage are in your plan documents. If you are ever in crisis, call or text 988 — that line comes before any appointment.
Away from home. HealthSelect's provider network is built around Texas, which covers daily life for most UNT and TWU families. Emergency care while traveling is generally treated as an emergency under most plans, while routine care outside Texas is typically not in-network — and members with dependents living in another state may have specific options under their variant. If a semester abroad, a family move, or an out-of-state dependent is on your horizon, a short call to member services before you need care is the move; your plan documents carry the exact rules for your variant.
Before your first visit: a free two-minute check
One boundary worth knowing: Evolve Health verifies coverage — choosing or changing plans stays between you and ERS. What we can do, gladly and free, is confirm that your care here is covered under the plan you have. Bring or send us three things: your HealthSelect insurance card, a photo ID, and your date of birth. Add a list of your current medications and allergies, and if you are designating us as your PCP, the PCP ID from this page. Then your annual physical, sick visits, and follow-up care all run through clinicians who know you — minutes from campus, open at 7:00 AM on weekdays. We speak English, Nepali & Hindi, and same-day appointments are available when you are sick now, not next week.
Frequently asked questions
I work at UNT or TWU. Which health plan do I have?
If you are an employee or retiree of the University of North Texas or Texas Woman's University, your health coverage through the Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) is HealthSelect of Texas, administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. Your member card says HealthSelect on it — and if you are ever unsure which variant you carry, Evolve Health can confirm your exact plan free from your insurance card, photo ID, and date of birth before your visit.
Do I have to choose a primary care provider under HealthSelect?
Yes. HealthSelect is built around a designated primary care provider (PCP): you name one PCP, and your in-network primary care runs through that clinician. The good news for Denton is that Evolve Health is in-network with HealthSelect of Texas, and our clinicians can serve as your designated PCP. When you designate, use PCP ID H08VP03401 or H08VP03301.
How do I make Evolve Health my designated HealthSelect PCP?
Call the customer care number on the back of your HealthSelect card, or log in to your HealthSelect account online, and choose Evolve Health as your PCP using PCP ID H08VP03401 or H08VP03301. You can change your designation the same way if you move or your needs change. If any step is confusing, call us at (940) 257-2002 and we will walk you through it.
Do I need a referral to see a specialist?
In general, yes: HealthSelect plans typically connect specialist care to a referral from your designated PCP, and seeing a specialist without one can mean the visit is not covered the way you expected. Referral rules can vary by plan variant and situation, so confirm the current requirement in your plan documents or with member services — and if you are our patient, just ask us: coordinating referrals is part of what your PCP does.
Is my annual physical really $0 with HealthSelect?
In-network preventive care — including your annual physical — is generally covered at $0 under HealthSelect when it is billed as preventive. The visit can pick up cost-sharing if it turns diagnostic, for example when a new problem is evaluated and treated at the same appointment. We confirm your exact coverage free before your visit, and our guide to preventive vs. diagnostic billing explains the difference in plain language.
What will I pay for a visit at Evolve Health with HealthSelect?
Your cost depends on your HealthSelect variant and where you stand with your deductible: in-network primary care is usually a copay or coinsurance set by the plan. Because those amounts are plan-specific, we verify your coverage free from your insurance card, photo ID, and date of birth and tell you what applies before your visit — call (940) 257-2002. If a service is ever not covered by your plan, the self-pay option is simple: a sick visit is $75 flat, told to you before you are seen.
Sources
- Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS) — HealthSelect plan information for ERS members (plan variants, member eligibility, and plan documents)
- HealthSelect of Texas, administered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas — member site (designating a PCP, member account access, and customer care)
- Evolve Health — HealthSelect of Texas in Denton (our in-network status and designated-PCP details)
General education only — not insurance advice: This article explains how HealthSelect of Texas generally works for ERS members. Your plan documents, your member card, and ERS hold the details that apply to your specific variant, and member services can give guidance on your own coverage.
Plan information last reviewed: October 2026.
Make Evolve Health your HealthSelect home base
Designate us with PCP ID H08VP03401 or H08VP03301, then call with your card handy — we will verify your coverage free and get your $0 preventive physical on the calendar, minutes from campus.