Trump Administration Directs CMS to End Medicaid Funding for Gender-Affirming Care for Minors

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a new rule ending federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care for minors, with CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz set to implement the policy following a directive from President Trump. The rule covers puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures, and is scheduled to take effect on October 13.

The administration cited an HHS review of national and international research, which it said found "significant evidence gaps, documented serious safety concerns, and concluded that the evidence supporting these interventions for children remains insufficient to justify federal taxpayer funding." CMS pointed specifically to the United Kingdom's Cass Review — a 2024 report by Dr. Hilary Cass — as a cornerstone piece of research informing the decision. That review concluded that research on medical interventions like cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers was limited and not definitive, and that medical interventions had developed faster than evidence proving their safety.

In his Truth Social post, Trump described the procedures as "barbaric" and said many hospitals across the country had already ended such care, with more expected to follow. Oz stated in a formal release that the administration was "following the science, saving taxpayer dollars, and, most importantly, protecting children from potentially irreversible harm." HHS Press Secretary Emily Hilliard said federal healthcare dollars would "support evidence-based care that protects children and puts their long-term health first."