The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new proposed rule on Thursday that would ban Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from going to hospitals that perform sex changes on minors.
A senior administration official told the National Review the rule would “effectively end sex-trait modifications for minors nationally” if finalized. The rule is called “Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Hospital Condition of Participation: Prohibiting Sex Trait Modifications for Children.”
Following the announcement of the proposed rule, CMS, which resides under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), will meet with HHS to work on the language of the rule and formalize it, according to the report.
The outlet was the first to report last month that the Trump administration was weighing withholding Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding from any hospital that provides sex change drugs and performs sex change surgeries on minors.
A senior administration official told the outlet the rule could have crippling financial consequences for any health care facilities that do not comply.
“The rule essentially says that a hospital cannot get funding from Medicare or Medicaid for any of their services if they participate in child mutilation,” the senior administration official reportedly said. “In short, the concept is — hospitals cannot participate in Medicare or Medicaid if they provide sex trait modification services to minors, full stop.”
While the rule is in its beginning stages, hospitals across the United States have already started to eschew the practice, likely in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to the issue. According to the outlet, nearly two dozen hospitals have restricted sex change drugs and surgeries.
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Other government agencies have been tackling the issue. Earlier this year, the FBI launched criminal investigations into three pediatric hospitals over their alleged practice of offering sex change drugs and surgeries to minors. Last month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a workshop to explore “Deceptive Trade Practices” in sex changes for minors.
In July, the Department of Justice (DOJ) subpoenaed more than 20 doctors and hospitals “involved in performing transgender medical procedures on children,” the agency said in a press release, adding that the investigations “include healthcare fraud, false statements, and more.”
“The administration is convinced that formalizing this proposed HHS rule is the strongest lever the federal government can pull to force gender clinics, hospitals, and health-care professions into submission, and the White House is coordinating closely with CMS in the rulemaking process,” according to the National Review report.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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