Overview
- One proposed rule would bar hospitals that offer puberty blockers, hormones or surgeries to patients under 18 from participating in Medicare and Medicaid.
- A companion proposal would prohibit Medicaid coverage for those under 18 and CHIP coverage for those under 19 for gender-affirming treatments.
- Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. labeled many treatments for transgender youth as “malpractice,” while major medical organizations warn the policies would harm families and misstate clinical standards.
- Related agency actions include FDA warning letters to companies selling chest binders to youth and an NIH move to stop funding gender-transition research.
- Civil-rights groups, including the ACLU, vowed court challenges, and the House passed a separate bill to criminalize certain care for minors, signaling escalating legal and political battles.