21 Democratic-Led States Sue to Block HHS Trans Youth Funding Ban Before October
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 2
21 Democratic-Led States Sue to Block HHS Trans Youth Funding Ban Before October
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 2
Summary
Twenty-one Democratic-led states filed suit in federal court in Massachusetts to stop an HHS rule that would end Medicaid and CHIP payments for gender-transition drugs and surgery for transgender adolescents.
The rule, announced last month and due to take effect in October, is challenged as an unlawful overreach that bars reimbursement for treatments some states classify as medically necessary.
HHS has not immediately responded to the lawsuit, but a department report issued last year said the risks of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and rare surgeries for minors outweigh the benefits and favored psychotherapy instead.
The case lands amid a wider split: most Republican-led states already ban such treatments, while major U.S. medical societies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, still support transition care for some distressed youths.