The Trump administration has introduced a new rule aimed at stopping federal funding for transgender healthcare services for minors. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the rule, which prevents Medicaid funds from covering “sex-rejecting procedures” for children under 18. It also bars Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies from paying for similar procedures for individuals under 19.
Beneficiaries currently receiving hormone therapy can continue receiving benefits for six months after the rule’s expected effective date, October 12, 2026. President Trump expressed his support for the rule on social media, stating, “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.”
Advocacy groups have criticized the rule. Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson described these decisions as “terrorizing trans youth and their families”. Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen from The Trevor Project referred to the rule as a “dangerous restriction on doctor-prescribed health care.” According to a 2024 study, less than one percent of transgender or gender diverse minors received surgical gender-affirming care.
Transgender youth are less likely to undergo surgeries before adulthood. Cisgender male minors, in some cases, report higher incidences of gender-affirming surgeries.
The conversation on healthcare continues as The Hill’s newsletter, led by Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi, covers the ongoing impacts of policy changes.
Additional Healthcare Developments:
- Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) discussed vaccines after President Trump’s executive order impacted childhood immunization schedules. Vaccination has historically saved millions of lives, including 146 million children under five since 1974.
- Hims & Hers Health is planning to market compounded peptides, according to CEO Andrew Dudum during an earnings call. The company is working on creating a top-of-the-line experience with U.S. manufactured products and clinical oversight.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened in a surrogacy case in Dallas County involving an unborn baby with a severe heart defect. Paxton’s office seeks to ensure the baby receives necessary medical care despite objections from the intended parents.
Note: This summary includes information from multiple sources to provide a comprehensive overview of recent healthcare policy developments.
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