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HHS abandons plan to withhold Medicare, Medicaid over trans care

newsJul 13, 2026201,785

On July 13, 2026 NPR reported that the Department of Health and Human Services will not finalize a proposed rule that would have blocked Medicare and Medicaid funding for hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors. The move abandons what NPR described as the Trump administration's most aggressive federal attempt to curtail pediatric gender-affirming care. By withdrawing the proposal, HHS removes the immediate prospect of cutting federal Medicare and Medicaid payments to hospitals solely for offering such care. The decision preserves hospitals' access to federal reimbursement for pediatric gender-affirming services while leaving open broader federal policy debates over transgender health care.

Alejandra Caraballo
@esqueer.net

This is huge! The Trump administration is abandoning its plan to withhold Medicaid funding from hospitals that provide gender affirming care to trans youth under 19. www.npr.org/2026/07/13/n...

12276h ago
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