President Donald Trump’s administration said that Medicaid will stop paying for gender-affirming surgeries and hormone treatments for transgender minors and the state Children’s Health Insurance Program won’t pay for the treatments for those under 19.
The announcement is the latest in a series of policies from the administration aimed at transgender people that began the day Trump returned to office last year.
The policy is to take effect Oct. 13.
It is not clear how much taxpayer funding is going to cover gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth now. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services did not respond to questions about the policy on Tuesday.
At least 27 states have already banned gender-affirming care for those under 18. Even in states that haven’t, many major hospitals have stopped providing some of the treatments. And gender-affirming surgeries for minors are rare. Puberty blockers and hormone treatments are more common.
