Cook Children's Health Plan Continues Fight to Protect Families and Dedicated Employees

Since 2000, Cook Children's Health Plan has kept its commitment to safeguard the well-being of more than 125,000 families who rely on their plans, allowing them to uphold Cook Children’s bold Promise “to improve the well-being of every child in our care and our communities.”

However, the very existence of the Health Plan is threatened after the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) denied Cook Children’s Health Plan a renewed contract to serve its membership.

The end of Cook Children’s Health Plan could be devastating for thousands of families. Many children could be forced to leave the trusted doctors, nurses, and specialized care clinicians who have become an integral part of their lives. For these families, the consistent and personalized care their children receive has been a cornerstone of their daily routines for years. Thankfully, our state officials possess the power to prevent this upheaval and ensure these children can continue to rely on what they consider home.

Rebekah Jones, a mother of three boys, captures the deep connection families have with Cook Children's, “Cook Children’s has built a relationship with myself and with my children, and they have gotten to know them well over time. Especially when you have special needs, that’s very important because Cook Children’s has taken the time to get to know them, to really see how they respond to different treatments and how they are when they’re sick. Cook Children’s knows what I need as a parent. So that’s been very important to our family.”

Jones further emphasizes the profound impact of changing plans, “It really impacts everything in your life. All these years that the kids have been with these physicians and nurses and staff who have gotten to know them — and that changing is like leaving a family and changing families. It’s not just a simple procedure.”

Cook Children’s Health Plan ensures the highest quality care through a comprehensive support network, including Neighborhood Health Clinics, convenient At Home Health options, vital Community Health Centers, and advanced Medical Centers.

President of Cook Children’s Health Plan, Karen Love, points out the critical difference between their community-rooted approach and that of nonlocal, for-profit health plans: “The national for-profit plans don’t know the community the way that we do. They don’t know the resources that are available to help our members with things that are outside the medical benefit realm. So, a mom’s struggling to afford diapers. Where’s the diaper bank? Where’s the nearest food pantry? All those things that families may need help with. They need it from somebody who knows the area and can advise them on where to go.”

Beyond the impact on families, Love also highlights the difficult situation for their dedicated workforce: “[Also], it's been particularly hard for our employees, because they didn't do anything wrong. They've been doing their job and they've been doing a really good job at it. How do you explain to them despite your great work, you know, we're in this situation? They are incredibly dedicated to the kids that we serve.”

Our health plan ensures access to vital care for our most vulnerable. If the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) decision to deny Cook Children’s Health Plan a new contract is not addressed, more than 76% of Tarrant County and 56% of Texas Medicaid and CHIP Members face the prospect of losing their trusted health plans, impacting not only the families but also the committed individuals who serve them.

This session, Texas Legislators are expected to consider two proposed bills that protect the health care of vulnerable Texas children—House Bill 3538, introduced by Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, and Senate Bill 2388, filed by State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen.

To learn more about this issue and how to support our efforts, please visit SaveCookChildrensHealthPlan.com.

To read what Cook Children’s Health Care System President and CEO Rick W. Merrill has to say on this issue, please click here.