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U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has moved to significantly restrict children’s access to gender-affirming care, marking one of the most far-reaching actions yet by the Trump administration targeting transgender healthcare. The proposed rules would bar hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors from participating in Medicare and would prohibit Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from covering such care.
The proposal is part of a broader campaign by the administration to roll back protections for transgender people across healthcare, education, the military, and the workplace. Kennedy argued that medical professionals who provide what he described as “sex-rejecting procedures” to children are out of compliance with healthcare standards, a position that directly contradicts the views of leading U.S. medical organizations.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association both support gender-affirming care, emphasizing that treatment decisions should be made collaboratively by patients, parents, and qualified healthcare providers. AAP President Susan Kressly criticized the administration’s move, saying it misrepresents medical consensus and could cause significant harm to children and families seeking care.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January aimed at reversing transgender healthcare protections, and the Department of Justice has already taken action against some hospitals that provide gender-affirming care. These actions have prompted a lawsuit from 16 Democratic-led states seeking to block enforcement. Because nearly all U.S. hospitals rely on Medicare funding, and about 53% of children receive coverage through Medicaid or CHIP, the impact of the proposed rules could be widespread.
Federal officials also announced plans to reverse the classification of gender dysphoria as a disability, potentially exempting organizations that restrict care from anti-discrimination laws. The Food and Drug Administration plans to issue warnings to companies marketing breast binders for gender dysphoria.
The proposals will undergo public comment periods before finalization, and civil rights groups, including the ACLU, have pledged legal challenges. According to health data analyzed by Reuters, more than 121,000 U.S. children were diagnosed with gender dysphoria between 2017 and 2021, highlighting the scale of the issue amid an intensifying national debate over transgender rights.
