Cornyn speaks in favor of Driscoll competing for RGV insurance contracts

EDINBURG — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, spoke favorably Thursday of the Driscoll Health Plan during a tour of its new children’s hospital here, which he praised for bringing children’s health care to residents who would otherwise need to travel outside the region for such care.

“Thanks to Driscoll Children’s Hospital and their vision, they understood that the children and the families of the Rio Grande Valley should not have to travel 150 miles just to receive the care they need. So, I’m happy to say that ends today,” Cornyn said.

The Driscoll Health Plan, however, is currently in jeopardy of being dropped as an insurance provider for low-income families.

Earlier this month, state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa along with 19 fellow South Texas legislators wrote a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott seeking his help to prevent Driscoll from being replaced by a for-profit entity.

Officials reached out to Abbott after the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) announced its notice of intent to award the STAR and CHIP managed care services to Aetna.

Aetna would replace Driscoll, which has provided health care for hundreds of thousands of families in low-income areas, including the Rio Grande Valley and entire South Texas region.

Cornyn was in town Thursday to tour the new Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, which opened May 8. It’s a $105 million project that brought state-of-the-art equipment to the region to address healthcare needs and prevent residents from traveling outside the Valley for care.

Previously, residents in need of specified care for children had to travel to Driscoll in Corpus Christi.

“I see that Sen. Hinojosa is on top of the issue and apparently this is part of a periodic renegotiation of these contracts,” Cornyn told The Monitor.

“This is going to be something that is going to be worked out at the state legislative level, but my hope is that the Driscoll Children’s Hospital will be allowed to compete for those contracts because of the kind of care that they’re able to provide, I think, is something we should not pass by.”

The eight-story building includes 119 pediatric beds as well as a Level III neonatal intensive care unit or NICU, which is located inside the DHR Health Women’s Center.

The facility, located at 2820 W. Michaelangelo Drive in Edinburg, includes tech such as digital door signs, a digital white board, a Language Line which is a cart that translates different languages, a CT machine that has a 560-slice count and a pneumatic tube system.

Cornyn also participated in a tree planting ceremony that marked the completion of the new children’s hospital.