Trump Administration Restricts Medicaid Coverage for Transgender Care

The Trump administration has finalized a rule barring states from using federal Medicaid funds to cover gender identity healthcare for children under 18.

The policy, announced Tuesday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is the latest federal effort to restrict access to transgender healthcare for minors enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP.

Under the rule, states that continue providing the care would have to pay for it without federal Medicaid funding. CMS said the policy does not apply to mental health services for children.

President Donald Trump praised the move on social media, saying it would prevent children from undergoing what he described as harmful and irreversible procedures.

Democrats and medical organizations have criticized the administration's efforts to restrict transgender healthcare, warning that the policies could negatively affect children's health.

The rule is scheduled to take effect October 13. Children already receiving gender identity care will continue to have access to federal funding for six months as part of a transition period, according to CMS.

The administration previously considered broader restrictions that could have affected federal funding for hospitals and doctors providing gender identity care to minors. The finalized policy instead focuses on federal Medicaid and CHIP funding.