Colorado senators urge Children’s Hospital Colorado to reconsider decision for patients on TRICARE
COLORADO (KRDO) – Colorado Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have issued a joint statement urging Children's Hospital Colorado (CHCO) to "fulfill their duty to military families" by reconsidering its decision to go out-of-network for TRICARE patients.
TRICARE is the uniformed services health care program for active duty service members, retirees and their families across the country.
Read the senators' joint statement below:
“Military families across the West rely on Children’s Hospital Colorado – especially those with very ill or medically fragile children. Service members’ children deserve the best medical care available, and the possibility that Children’s Hospital Colorado would be out-of-network for TRICARE users on January 1st is unacceptable. We call on TRICARE and CHCO to come to the table, ensure fair reimbursement rates, and fulfill their duty to military families to provide access to the health care they need.”
The statement comes nearly a year after the Defense Health Agency restructured TRICARE reimbursement amounts. CHCO filed a legal challenge regarding the changes, but it failed this April.
According to CHCO, those new federal DHA rules, which took effect in October 2023, significantly lowered the amount that Children’s Colorado is reimbursed for outpatient health care services.
The Children’s Hospital in Colorado Springs, which serves more than 15,000 military kids, said the cuts will lead to a 40% reduction in reimbursements and cost them $11-17 million per year.
MORE: Cuts to TRICARE reimbursement rates prove costly to children’s hospitals, patients
"We are disappointed by the ruling and gravely concerned about the impact this will have for all children cared for by our hospital system in Colorado, with the most significant effects in southern Colorado," an April post on the CHCO website said. "This decision will limit access to pediatric care and decrease the quality of health services, which are critical for the well-being of our community's children."
