The Department of Health and Human Services has finalized major regulatory changes that bar federal funding for puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and certain surgical interventions on minors, making compliance a condition for participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Secretary Kennedy announced sweeping rules aimed at ending what the policy labels “sex-rejecting procedures” on minors, targeting medical protocols for patients under 18 and aligning CHIP rules for those under 19. The changes make continuation of federal reimbursement contingent on hospitals and facilities refusing to provide those treatments to minors. Federal enforcement now links participation in the nation’s core healthcare programs to adherence with the new standards.
The reforms specify that puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and certain surgical procedures for minors are excluded from federally funded care, and hospitals that choose to offer them risk losing Medicare and Medicaid payments. That funding threat is a powerful lever to ensure uniform compliance across institutions that rely on federal dollars. Officials framed the move as a defense of children and taxpayer stewardship.
This action follows a peer-reviewed HHS report released in November that concluded medical procedures intended to change a child’s biological sex carry significant long-term risks. The report is cited by the department to justify tighter federal guardrails around pediatric care. Republicans in the administration say the scientific record and moral responsibility demand decisive federal standards.
The department made clear the new requirements apply to hospitals and facilities that accept federal program money, turning participation into a clear policy choice for institutions. Healthcare providers will need to evaluate whether to continue offering these interventions at the cost of federal funding or to align with the new federal baseline. That trade-off is now deliberate and public.
Secretary Kennedy laid out the policy in plain terms, tying the rules to an executive agenda and presidential direction. “Under my leadership, and answering President Trump’s call to action, the federal government will do everything in its power to stop unsafe, irreversible practices that put our children at risk,” Secretary Kennedy said in a statement. “This Administration will protect America’s most vulnerable. Our children deserve better—and we are delivering on that promise.”
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz reinforced the stance and emphasized evidence and safety. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz added that, “Children deserve our protection, not experimental interventions performed on them, that carry life-altering risks with no reliable evidence of benefit. This proposal seeks to clarify that hospitals participating in our programs cannot conduct these unproven procedures on children. CMS will ensure that federal program standards reflect our responsibility to promote the health and safety of children.”
Medical advocacy groups that oppose gender-affirming care for minors praised the rule as overdue and necessary. Leaders argued that many clinics have already altered practices as research exposed risks, and that tying taxpayer dollars to a prohibition would accelerate those changes. Supporters framed the policy as both a moral and fiscal safeguard against costly, unproven pediatric interventions.
President Trump and HHS are taking another critical step to protect children from harmful gender ideology. The proposed rule – banning hospitals from performing sex change interventions on minors as a condition for Medicare and Medicaid participation – is common sense, evidence-based, and morally imperative. Many so-called gender clinics have already begun to close as the truth about the risks and long-term harms about these drugs and surgeries on minors have been exposed. Now, hospitals that receive taxpayer funds from these federal programs must follow suit. Do No Harm will continue to be a source for sound science and expertise to support this rule-making process and ensure American taxpayer dollars do not fund sex-change operations on minors. This is just the beginning, but it marks a major step toward delivering a crippling blow to the child transgender industry.
The administration’s approach makes enforcement administrative and financial rather than criminal, meaning hospitals weigh access to federal programs against their clinical choices. That design aims to produce rapid, system-wide compliance without additional legislation. Republicans argue this method is efficient, constitutional, and aligned with the public interest in protecting minors.
Critics will likely challenge the rules in court and in public debate, arguing about medical autonomy, parental rights, and the role of federal oversight in clinical decisions. The administration counters that federal funds should not underwrite treatments judged unsafe or experimental for children. Expect legal battles and policy fights as states, hospitals, and advocacy groups respond to the change.
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
