The Trump administration has ended federal funding for gender-affirming care for minors through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The move bars the two federal health insurance programs from paying for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or sex-change surgeries for children.
President Trump directed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), led by Dr. Mehmet Oz, to implement the change. In a social media post, Trump characterized the surgeries as barbaric, and the administration described the treatments as experimental.
States may still choose to cover these treatments using their own funds, independent of federal money. The policy affects the programs that provide health coverage to low-income Americans, including children.