The U.S. government under President Donald Trump aims to block gender-affirming treatments for minors by using financial pressure. On Thursday in Washington, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that federal funds would be cut from all hospitals that offer hormonal therapies and surgical gender-affirming procedures or that prescribe puberty blockers to young people. Through the Medicaid and Medicare programs, then, no services could be billed.
Virtually all U.S. clinics would be affected. Medicaid and Medicare serve as a central funding source for many hospitals. While Medicaid covers people with low incomes, Medicare also targets older individuals and people with disabilities. “This measure is designed to ensure that the U.S. government does not do business with organizations that intentionally or unintentionally cause lasting harm to children,” the Department of Health and Human Services said in its statement.
A flood of lawsuits is expected against the new rules
Kennedy spoke of “abuse” and called the prospect of transition “junk science driven by ideological motives.” Minors as well as adults with low incomes would no longer have gender-affirming treatments paid for by Medicaid under his plan.
The new rules are slated to apply even in U.S. states where such procedures are legal. Therefore, a wave of lawsuits against the new rules is anticipated. They would take effect only after a series of public hearings.
A transphobic move among many
The Trump administration, which has acted in transphobic ways in many areas, had already halted the coverage of gender-affirming treatments for veterans in March (Queer.de reported). Also for trans service members on active duty, this coverage no longer exists; many were discharged and are not being re-enlisted (Queer.de reported). In August it was announced that the health care of trans federal employees and the U.S. Postal Service workforce would end in 2026 (Queer.de reported).
Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump also issued several decrees restricting federal funds for gender-affirming treatments for minors. A judge initially blocked the plan (Queer.de reported). In July, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced she had sent more than 20 subpoenas to clinics and practices offering such treatments: “Medical professionals and organizations that have harmed children in service of a twisted ideology will be held accountable by this Department of Justice.”
Leading medical associations in the United States, and the World Health Organization as well, largely agree that current treatment guidelines for both adults and minors are evidence-based and necessary. According to a study from the University of California, about 1.6 million transgender people live in the United States. More than 300,000 of them are between 13 and 17 years old.
