Overview

• Kaiser Permanente will halt all gender-affirming surgeries for patients under age 19 beginning August 29.
• The decision follows surgical suspensions at Stanford Medicine and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles as other major providers reassessed care for transgender youth.
• Kaiser will maintain access to puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and mental health services for minors.
• Kaiser cited a January executive order, CMS investigations, DOJ subpoenas and FTC reviews, plus the threat of lost federal funding, as reasons for the pause.
• The California Nurses Association criticized the move as political interference, while detransitioner Chloe Cole and advocacy groups plan further litigation.