HHS to cut access to gender-affirming care for minors in the U.S.
By: Erin Mansflield
and Rebecca Morin
USA Today
..... The Trump administration is moving to make it harder for hospitals to provide gender-affirming care for children, to stop medical device manufactures from marketing breast binders to children, and to stop gender dysphoria from being protected under federal disability law.
.....
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a press conference on December 18 [2025] signed a declaration that says "sex-rejecting procedures are neither safe nor effective treatment for children with gender dyusphoria."
..... Kennedy said that the Department of Health and Human Services is starting an administrative process to prohibit hospitals that provide children with what he called "sex-rejecting procedures" from participating in Medicare and Medicaid - a move hat would affect virtually every hospital in the United States.
..... He also said the administration will attempt to stop Medicare form funding "sex-rejecting procedures," a move that could have nationwide ripple effects because commercial insurance companies generally choose what to reimburse based on Medicare's policies.
.....
The Food and Drug Administration will send warning letters to 12 manufacturers of breast binders telling them not to market the devices to children, Kennedy said. he said the devices are designed for women recovering from breast cancer surgery, not for children.
..... Gender-affirming care is a rage of social, psychological, behavioral and medical interventions designed to support a person in their gender identity, according to the World Health Organization.
..... HHS released a report in May [2025] that determined there's a lack of evidence supporting interventions and emphasized their potential risks, despite most medical organizations and professionals backing their benefits.
..... Contributing: Adrianna Rodriquez, USA Today