COLORADO SPRINGS — To Air Force veteran Kathy Lind, her twin children, Abby and Jaxson, are everything.
“They are miracle babies," Lind said. "And the reason I keep going.”
Both Abby and Jaxson were born 16 weeks prematurely.
“They were right at the cut-off of quality of life or viability of life," Lind said. “After four months in the NICU, this was the first time I got them back in the same hospital and was able to hold them both. “
The twins fight ailments like chronic lung disease, and vision and hearing deficiencies together, but their mom says they can’t do it alone.
“If it wasn't for the care that we've been receiving through TRICARE, throughout all of our assignments, definitely would not be able to get our needs met," Lind said.
Abby and Jaxson go to Children’s Hospital Colorado for all of their healthcare needs.
“We see six different specialty providers," she said.
With Tuesday’s agreement between Children’s Hospital Colorado and Triwest, the providers Abby and Jaxson have gone to since moving to the Springs in 2019 will now remain in network.
We contacted Children’s Hospital Colorado, who said this deal, which takes effect January 1, will give patients with Tricare the same coverage they had before.
It’s not clear how long this agreement will last. Children's Colorado Hospital’s CEO added “TRICARE reimbursement rates remain well below the cost of providing care," which was the reason for the initial breakup.
For Kathy, she hopes that more can be done for her children and that others in Springs can continue to receive care.
“How do you re-establish that care with not just one provider, but six different providers," said Lind. “Hopefully they can continue to negotiate good terms for all parties.”
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