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 the use of such funds for these procedures.
More than half of U.S. states already ban or restrict gender-affirming care. However, Thursday’s announcement could jeopardize access in nearly two dozen states where drug treatments and surgical procedures remain legal and funded by Medicaid.
The proposals are not final or legally binding. The federal government must navigate a lengthy rulemaking process, including public comment periods and potential legal challenges, before the restrictions can become permanent.
Nearly all U.S. hospitals are linked to the Medicare and Medicaid programs, the largest health plans that serve seniors, the disabled, and low-income Americans. Losing access to these funding streams could threaten most hospitals and medical providers.
The approach contradicts recommendations from major medical organizations like the American Medical Association, which advises against restricting care for gender dysphoria. Many healthcare experts worry that such measures will deter providers from offering critical gender-affirming services, exacerbating existing healthcare disparities for transgender youth.
Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, senior vice president at The Trevor Project, criticized the proposed measures as a harmful, one-size-fits-all mandate that undermines the critical doctor-patient relationship. “The multitude of efforts we are seeing from federal legislators to strip transgender and nonbinary youth of the health care they need is deeply troubling,” he stated.
