United States May Suspend Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Therapy to Minors

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering halting funding to hospitals that offer gender-affirming therapy to minors, according to reports from TASS, citing The Wall Street Journal.

"President Trump has been clear: the United States will protect children from life-changing and experimental procedures," the newspaper quotes Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a cardiothoracic surgeon and television host. The publication emphasizes that CMS "has warned hospitals and Medicaid programs of these dangers and is taking regulatory measures to enforce restrictions."

Sources indicate that this potential increase in federal oversight over gender medical care followed the expiration of a 30-day deadline for nine children's hospitals, which were required to respond to CMS inquiries. The institutions were asked to provide data related to "sex reassignment surgeries, hormone therapy, and puberty blockers."

According to The Wall Street Journal, although the requests did not include specific threats of action against the hospitals, officials at CMS believe they have the authority to halt funding for gender-affirming programs for children and adolescents. It is also noted that the agency is considering the complete exclusion of hospitals from Medicaid if they do not cease providing these services to minors.

It is known that at least one hospital, the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, is closing its gender therapy program. The hospital explained that "over 65% of its annual income comes from federal sources," the WSJ reports.

CMS is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responsible for administering key national health insurance programs. It sets the standards that hospitals must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid, including health and safety regulations.