The recent court ruling that keeps the split between health care rivals UPMC and Highmark on track will not immediately affect most Butler County residents who get their health care within county lines.

However, the issue is still concerning for many, among them state troopers who might be caught in out-of-network areas during a medical emergency.

State Supreme Court Judge Robert Simpson ruled Wednesday that a state-brokered consent decree between UPMC and Highmark cannot be extended beyond June 30. Attorney General Josh Shapiro sought to modify and extend the five-year agreement that gives Highmark members in-network access to UPMC hospitals and physicians.

He said the court couldn’t extend it without consent of parties since Shapiro isn’t pleading “fraud, accident or mistake.” A spokesman said Shapiro will appeal to the state’s highest court.

Jana Panther, a spokeswoman for Butler Health System, said it has agreements for several more years with major health care providers, thus protecting that access.

“BHS has multiyear contracts in place with Highmark, UPMC Health Plan and every major company in the market,” Panther wrote in an email Friday.

She noted that the system’s contract will allow Highmark customers to continue to receive medical and radiation oncology treatments at the Butler UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Marcy Trimbur, benefits administrator for Butler County, said the county’s 550-600 employees are covered by Highmark. She does not anticipate that employees will run into problems getting medical care, despite the split.

Speaking as a consumer, Leslie Osche, county commissioners chairwoman, said people fear increased costs or the unavailability of doctors due to coverage restrictions. She added how she expects people won’t realize the impact of the dissolved agreement until they run into a problem.

“It makes nobody happy,” Osche said. “I think we’re going to have to carefully watch how they both proceed from this point on and what opportunities and challenges it might create in the health arena.”

On the other hand, the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association, which includes Troop D members who patrol Butler County, have expressed immediate concerns.

“It’s time for these parties to find a solution. Without a solution by June 30, troopers and their families seeking care at a UPMC health care site would need to prepay for their health costs,” said David Kennedy, association spokesman. “This cost could prove insurmountable for the vast majority of troopers.

Kennedy said members are concerned that a trooper who was critically injured in the line of duty would find long-term rehabilitation and recovery not covered by insurance.

“It’s inconceivable that those who protect our commonwealth could find themselves unprotected when it comes to health care,” he said. “Troopers, their families, and potentially millions of Pennsylvanians who will be impacted by this must be protected.”

The Highmark-UPMC business relationship was about to end when Gov. Tom Corbett brokered a 2014 consent decree. UPMC opposed renewing the agreement in 2012 after Highmark purchased what is now Allegheny Health Network. The move made Highmark a direct competitor of UPMC because the company now provides health services as well as insurance coverage.

Osche said people won’t realize the impact of the dissolved agreement until they run into a problem. She said that also includes decisions regarding the selection of insurers.

“There’s a lot of things that go into those decisions,” Osche said. “Most often, it’s about how to get the best service at the most reasonable cost.”

Eagle Staff Writers Nathan Bottiger and Eric Jankiewicz and The Associated Press contributed to this report.