Proposed Medicaid, CHIP rules would likely end medical care for transgender youth nationally

Access to gender-affirming care for transgender youth will be dramatically restricted by the Trump administration under new proposals by the Department of Health and Human Services (Source: “Trump pushes an end to medical care for transgender youth nationally,” NPR, Oct. 30).
 
A proposed rule would prohibit federal Medicaid reimbursement for medical care provided to transgender patients younger than age 18. It also prohibits reimbursement through the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP for patients under age 19.
 
An additional proposed rule would go even further, blocking all Medicaid and Medicare funding for any services at hospitals that provide pediatric gender-affirming care.
 
The rules are being prepared for public release in early November, according to an employee at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services who anonymously provided them to NPR.
 
Both supporters and opponents of transgender rights agree that, taken together, the forthcoming rules could make access to pediatric gender-affirming care across the country extremely difficult, if not impossible. The care is already banned in 27 states, including Ohio.