Overview
- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a directive on April 11, 2025, instructing states to prohibit the use of Medicaid funds for gender-affirming care for minors.
- CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz stated that such treatments, including hormone therapy and surgeries, may cause irreversible harm and lack sufficient evidence of long-term benefits.
- The directive repurposes a federal regulation barring sterilization procedures for individuals under 21 to restrict funding for gender-affirming care.
- Major U.S. medical associations, including the American Medical Association, oppose the directive, asserting that gender-affirming care is safe, necessary, and evidence-based.
- Advocacy groups and health experts argue the move is politically motivated and could lead to broader restrictions on transgender healthcare access across states.