WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday unveiled a series of regulatory actions designed to effectively ban gender-affirming care for minors, building on broader Trump administration restrictions on transgender Americans.
The sweeping proposals — the most significant moves this administration has taken so far to restrict the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgical interventions for transgender children — include cutting off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children and prohibiting federal Medicaid funding from being used on such procedures.
More than half of U.S. states already ban or restrict gender-affirming care. But Thursday’s announcement imperils access in nearly two dozen states where drug treatments and surgical procedures remain legal and funded by Medicaid, which includes federal and state dollars.
The proposals, set to be announced by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his deputies, are not final or legally binding. The federal government must go through a lengthy rulemaking process, including periods of public comment and document rewrites, before the restrictions become permanent. They are also likely to face legal challenges.
But the proposed rules will likely further intimidate health care providers from offering gender-affirming care to children and many hospitals have already ceased such care in anticipation of federal action.
Nearly all U.S. hospitals participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the federal government’s largest health plans that cover seniors, the disabled and low-income Americans. Losing access to those payments would imperil most U.S. hospitals and medical providers.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, senior vice president at The Trevor Project, described the changes as a “one-size-fits-all mandate from the federal government” on a decision that should be determined between a doctor and patient. This latest regulatory proposal signals a pivotal moment in the heated debate surrounding access to healthcare for transgender youth, raising urgent discussions about parental rights, healthcare ethics, and the future of medical practices concerning gender identity.
