Texas, also known as the Lone Star State, is located in the south-central region of the United States and is the second-largest state in area behind Alaska.1 The great plains of Oklahoma are to the north, New Mexico is to the west, Mexico is to the south, and the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico lies to the southeast. The Gulf Coast is home to Galveston, an island city just 50 miles southeast of Houston (the largest city in Texas), which is a major international port for cargo and cruise ships. Every year thousands of people come through this port city and it’s the second-busiest port in the U.S. in terms of overall tonnage.
Health care
The United States has some of the most advanced health care resources in the world, with medical care of international standard widely available throughout the country, especially in urban areas. All medical and surgical specialties are available, and hospitals in both the private and public/university sectors strive to meet international standards of excellence. Travelers can access many types of health care facilities, especially in large cities:
- Hospital care: There is a wide variety of hospitals, including private for-profit medical centers, nonprofit hospitals operated by county and state governments, religious orders, independent nonprofit organizations, and specialty hospitals focused on areas such as pediatrics, women’s health, orthopedics and cardiology, as well as many other specialty areas. Hospitals provide some outpatient care in their emergency rooms and specialty clinics, but primarily they exist to provide inpatient care. Visitors should note that it is not advisable to use hospital emergency departments for non-emergent walk-in care, as this can be very costly.
- Non-emergent care: Private sector outpatient medical care is provided by personal primary care physicians (specialists in internal medicine, family medicine, OB/GYN and pediatric medicine), sub-specialty physicians, or non-physicians (including nurse practitioners and physician assistants).
- Walk-in clinics are another place for travelers to find routine medical care, letting patients see a doctor or nurse-practitioner without an appointment but often with a wait.
The UnitedHealthcare network in Texas
In Texas, there are over 130,000 providers, 500 hospitals, and over 8,500 outpatient clinics* across the state providing your members easy access to quality physicians. Key areas with a high concentration of quality providers are found in large cities.
- Houston: The city’s medical center, home to the world-famous M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, is the largest in the United States and receives patients from all over the world. Additional notable providers in the network include Texas Children’s Hospital and CHI St. Luke’s Health Baylor College of Medicine Medical Center.
- Dallas: This sprawling city is home to many medical centers and providers including Baylor University Medical Center, Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and UT Southwestern William P Clements Jr University Hospital.
Centers of Excellence
A key feature of the network is the Centers of Excellence (COEs). COEs use evidence-based, quality-of-care protocols to deliver cost-effective care for complex medical procedures. Texas has a wide range of COE specialties including transplant, cancer, congenital heart disease, spine and joint in large cities like
Dallas and Houston.
Security
UnitedHealthcare Global puts the overall threat assessment in the U.S. at Low. Crime is the primary security concern for travelers to the United States. Crimes of opportunity — such as pickpocketing and purse snatching — present the most significant threat to travelers in all major urban centers. Strikes occur occasionally in the United States and have the potential to result in disruptions of services that travelers use and may cause widespread transportation disruptions.
Hurricanes and tropical storms can cause significant disruptions as well, particularly during the annual Atlantic hurricane season that typically lasts from June 1st to November 30th. Areas located along the Gulf of Mexico in the southern region, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Texas, sustained damage during the passage of hurricanes and tropical storms in 2020. Travelers to destinations along the Gulf of Mexico should monitor approaching storms during the hurricane season.
Travel tips
Sources:
*data as of May 20, 2025 from Internal UHC Database
Texas | Map, Population, History, & Facts | Britannica
UnitedHealthcare Network Data January 2025
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