Trump administration bars Medicaid funding for transgender minors' gender-affirming care

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that Medicaid will cease funding gender-affirming surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender minors. The policy, effective October 13, also impacts the state Children's Health Insurance Program for those under 19.

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We are not going to pay for our innocent children to undergo these barbaric surgeries and practices, which result in unthinkable and irreversible harm to their young bodies.

This marks the latest in a series of actions by the administration targeting transgender individuals. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not provide details on current taxpayer funding for these treatments, at least 27 states already have bans in place. Gender-affirming surgeries for minors are rare, but puberty blockers and hormone treatments are more common.

The policy will continue to cover mental health treatment for transgender minors. However, it will phase out coverage for hormone treatments for those already receiving them by April 2027. President Trump stated on social media that he directed CMS administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz to make the change, calling the procedures "barbaric" and harmful to "innocent children."

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is putting up barriers between parents and their ability to make the best medical decisions for their children

Advocates for LGBTQ+ youth strongly oppose the policy. Josh Rovenger, legal director at GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, argued that the rule creates barriers for parents making medical decisions for their children and vowed legal challenges. Kelley Robinson, president of Human Rights Campaign, condemned the administration's actions as "terrorizing trans youth and their families." HRC is already involved in a lawsuit against the administration over its efforts to bar gender-affirming care coverage under federal employee benefit plans.

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The Trump administration is terrorizing trans youth and their families with these kinds of actions, and it has to stop.

Major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, support access to gender-affirming care. However, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons noted "insufficient evidence" earlier this year regarding the benefits of certain surgeries on minors outweighing the risks. The administration has previously announced cuts to Medicaid and Medicare funding for hospitals providing gender-affirming care to minors, alongside bans on transgender athletes in women's sports and restrictions on gender markers on passports.

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insufficient evidence