Fort Worth children's hospital's colorful display challenges insurance-axing bill

Fort Worth children's hospital faces insurance cuts

125 colorful cardboard kids stand outside Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. According to a medical doctor with the children’s center, the cutouts represent the masses of young patients who are being threatened by proposed changes to insurance operations.

FORT WORTH, Texas - 125 colorful cardboard kids stand outside Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth.

According to a medical doctor with the children’s center, the cutouts represent the masses of young patients who are being threatened by proposed changes to insurance operations.

Texas healthcare policy changes

Dr. Taylor Louden is the director of emergency medical services for Cook Children's. The doctor says the display is intended to call out state policymakers in Austin.

Proposed legislation would do away with Cook Children’s nonprofit community health insurance plan, which it makes available to families to help cover the cost of medical care. 

The replacement would limit families to using for-profit insurance plans.

Why you should care:

Under the proposal, three medical centers with nonprofit plans would be affected: Cook Children’s, Texas Children’s Medical Center in Houston, and Driscoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi.

Cook Children's is taking legal action, attempting to block the changes which they say put vulnerable families at risk of losing their lifeline to quality and vital pediatric care.

Each of the 125 cardboard cutouts represents 1,000 members under Cook’s community health insurance.

What they're saying:

"This is really going to negatively impact these kids, these families, in a way I don't think people fully realize," said Louden.

The doctor worries that families on the threatened insurance won't be able to afford the for-profit alternatives.

"These are big insurers coming in to take over, so it’s going to limit their ability to get procedures, so if they need a procedure, they may have to wait longer for the procedure, the procedure may be denied, there could be tougher times getting access to our specialists," Louden said.

"It’s really sad and disappointing that our government has chosen this approach, because it’s really going to negatively impact families, our kids and their overall health," Louden went on. "It will probably increase their costs overall."

Louden encourages others to join in their call to action.

"I think we as a healthcare organization need to stand up and say ‘this is not right,’" the doctor said.