Don’t outsource pediatric care

Last year, we proudly opened the first freestanding children’s hospital in the Rio Grande Valley. It was a moment of celebration — not just for Driscoll, but for the thousands of families who for too long had to leave the region to get the specialized pediatric care their children needed.

The hospital represents progress, but the health care foundation around it — the system that helps children and pregnant mothers access essential services — is now at risk of unnecessary disruption.

In 2024, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced plans to exclude several nonprofit health plans across the state from Medicaid program contracts, including Driscoll Health Plan, which serves tens of thousands of members here in the Rio Grande Valley. These are families who depend on Driscoll for consistent, accessible care, and the majority have been with us for years.

It’s a decision that risks sidelining local community plans in favor of out-of-state insurance companies with no history of serving this region.

The impact would be sweeping. Children and pregnant mothers across the Valley could be forced to change plans and potentially lose access to the providers, case managers and community-based programs they know and trust. This isn’t just a technical change — it’s a disruption to care.

It’s also one that the courts have flagged: a Travis County judge prevented HHSC from moving forward with its plan after identifying 13 separate legal violations in the state’s procurement process. The process is paused, but the problem isn’t solved.

There are bills in the Texas House of Representatives and Texas Senate to address the flaws in the state’s Medicaid program procurement process. The bills seek to reform the procurement decision to allow Driscoll Health Plan to continue to compete for members and cover necessary services. These reforms should include important criteria based upon performance, quality and network adequacy to hold plans accountable for serving their members in the service area.

Senate Bill 2388, legislation filed by our very own Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, would ensure that experience, quality and results determine which health plans serve our most vulnerable populations.

House Bill 3538, filed by State Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, aligns with SB 2388 and empowers Medicaid and the Children’s Insurance Program member choice that is supported by our delegation in the House.

This matters deeply in the Rio Grande Valley, where access to specialists remains limited and continuity of care is critical. Driscoll Health Plan has been part of this region for more than two decades. It has been instrumental in bringing maternal fetal medicine to underserved communities. It invests in programs to reduce preterm births and avoid costly neonatal intensive care unit stays. It supports food security initiatives, partners with local school districts, and helps train community health workers in hard-to-reach areas.

These are not short-term efforts. They’re long-term commitments rooted in the belief that families in the Valley deserve the same level of care and stability as anyone else in Texas.

SB 2388 and HB 3538 offer a straightforward path. It would give families the option to stay with the plan that’s delivered for them — not force them to start over with an unfamiliar, out-of-state insurer.

We urge the Legislature to move these bills forward and develop laws that would ensure that the families of the Rio Grande Valley can continue to count on care that’s local, proven, and responsive to their needs.

Matt Wolthoff is president of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley.

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