Overview
- NPR obtained draft text showing a proposal to prohibit Medicaid reimbursement for gender‑affirming care for patients under 18 and to bar CHIP reimbursement for those under 19.
- A separate draft rule would block all Medicare and Medicaid payments to any hospital that provides pediatric gender‑affirming care.
- An anonymous CMS employee told NPR the proposals are being prepared for public release in early November, after which a public comment period would begin.
- Experts describe the approach as unprecedented and warn it could effectively force hospitals to shut down youth programs, though no changes take effect until rulemaking concludes and courts weigh in.
- Civil‑rights groups and medical organizations condemned the plan, noting broad professional support for such care and a Utah state‑commissioned analysis that found treatments effective and safe.