Major Children's Hospitals Shut Gender-Affirming Care as Federal Funding Threat Takes Effect

Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Kaiser Permanente, and Rady Children's Hospital have closed gender-affirming care programs following Trump administration threats to Medicaid and Medicare funding. The closures span 2025 and early 2026. Federal rules prohibit Medicaid dollars from funding gender-affirming procedures for minors and threaten funding cutoffs for hospitals providing such care. The restrictions affect nearly two dozen states where these treatments remain legal and state-funded. Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Texas Children's Hospital also ceased or restructured programs under federal pressure.