Texas doubles down on plan to drop Cook Children's health plan
NORTH TEXAS — The state of Texas doubled down on its plan to drop the Cook Children's health plan and award contracts to several national, for-profit insurance companies instead.
The proposed changes could affect 125,000 North Texas families, who could all lose their current healthcare coverage.
Cook Children's has run programs to cover healthcare services for low-income children and pregnant women for more than 20 years.
In March, the state announced it would not renew the Medicaid contract.
Cook Children's appealed the decision but a few days ago, the appeal was denied. The hospital says the fight isn't over yet.
"This process has been flawed from the beginning and we will pursue every legal option available, including filing an immediate appeal," Cook Children's said in a statement. "We know every child's life is sacred, and we will continue to fulfill our promise of improving the well-being of every child entrusted to our care and within our communities."
The changes to the state's contracts would not take effect until September 2025. Families enrolled in the health plan can maintain their current coverage for at least another year.