CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Wednesday the Driscoll Health Plan gave a status update for program that could potentially shut down in September of next year.
It's a move that would disrupt healthcare to thousands of South Texas residents who rely on the coverage, which includes local resident Melissa Velasco whose daughter, April, has a rare genetic disease called Kabuki syndrome.
"The most severe child with Kabuki syndrome, they have to be tube fed, they have to be on oxygen they have to have traches here in their throat," Velasco said.
April's mother said she's been a part of Driscoll Health Plan for just over a decade, and that they've been instrumental in covering her daughter's treatments.
"We don't get any bills, they take care of it," Velasco said.
Driscoll Health Plan CEO Craig Smith said that the organization has been appealing since March against the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to continue to provide coverage. He said that if things don't go their way, the worse could come to pass.
"The Medicaid business that is at stake right now, constitutes over 90-95 percent of our business, simply as a health plan," Smith said. "We would likely have to close our doors."
According to a press release from Driscoll Health Plan, the nonprofit could loose more than 500 jobs in our region if the plan is eliminated.
Smith said he believes the reason behind this has to do with the procurement process.
"The state is disregarding past performance in order to allow more companies to bid," he said.
In the meantime, parents like Velasco said they are waiting and wondering what the future may hold.
"We are the ones taking our kids to the doctor, not you or your neighbor, it's us," Velasco said.
Driscoll Health is currently in the protest period of the procurement process against the Health and Human Services Commission. Smith said that if things don't go their way, they are looking at pursuing further legal action.