Overview

• Starting August 29, Kaiser Permanente will pause all transgender-related surgeries for patients under 19 at its hospitals and surgical centers nationwide.
• The health system will continue to offer puberty blockers, cross-sex hormone treatments and mental health support for adolescent members.
• Kaiser cited a January executive order, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services inquiries and Justice Department subpoenas as key pressures behind the pause.
• Stanford Medicine, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and other major providers have already suspended surgical care for under-19 patients under similar federal scrutiny.
• The move deepens ongoing legal conflicts in California and beyond, including Chloe Cole’s 2023 lawsuit and state efforts to enforce nondiscrimination in transgender health care.