Less than a week after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) rolled out a fresh campaign to restrict gender-affirming care nationwide — especially for youth — New York and 18 other states sued the Trump administration, while an upstate hospital halted trans care for minors.
The developments follow the White House’s Dec. 18 announcement of proposed rules stipulating that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would require hospitals participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs to ban gender-affirming care for individuals under the age of 18 and bar federal Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care for minors. The administration also stated that the ban would apply to federal Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for gender-affirming care procedures for individuals under the age of 19.
The proposed shakeup must now undergo a 60-day commenting period, during which members of the public can submit comments offering feedback. But even before any changes are implemented, the announcement has prompted policy changes at hospitals in New York.
In Oneonta, New York, Bassett Healthcare’s Gender Wellness Center at Susquehanna Family Practice, which provides gender-affirming services for patients, wiped information about its care from its website and a spokesperson confirmed that it is restricting such for minors.
“In anticipation of these potential changes, no new treatment plans for gender-affirming care are being initiated for patients under the age of 18,” Henry Weil, the chief clinical officer and academic officer of Bassett Healthcare Network and president of Bassett Medical Center, told Gay City News on Dec. 24. “New patients continue to be accepted for primary care at the Susquehanna office in Oneonta where the Gender Wellness Center is located. There is no change for patients 18 years of age or older seeking gender-affirming care. We continue to provide those services.”
When Gay City News informed the Attorney General’s Office of the hospital’s policy change, a spokesperson said the office would review the situation.
The Daily Star, a newspaper based in Oneonta, first reported on the changes to the Gender Wellness Center’s website.
Weil said Bassett is “currently processing” the proposed rule changes and expressed concern that any hospitals continuing to provide such care could lose Medicaid and Medicare funding, saying it “would be devastating to all patient care at Bassett.”
“At this time, we anticipate it will be several weeks before any changes to patient care could be required, which gives us time to thoughtfully determine next steps and work with our practitioners and affected patients,” Weil said. “We understand that this news is upsetting to many and we are committed to providing compassionate care to the patients affected by this news and to help guide them through the next steps.”
Meanwhile, New York State Attorney General Letitia James wasted no time in suing the administration over the announcement, arguing that White House officials are moving forward with the proposals while ignoring legal requirements for policy changes. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Oregon, also involved California, Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
“At the core of this so-called declaration are real people: young people who need care, parents trying to support their children, and doctors who are simply following the best medical evidence available,” James said in a written statement. “Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online, and no one should lose access to medically necessary health care because their federal government tried to interfere in decisions that belong in doctors’ offices. My office will always stand up for New Yorkers’ health, dignity, and right to make medical decisions free from intimidation.”
The lawsuit represents the latest effort by the attorney general to push back against the Trump administration’s attacks on gender-affirming care. Earlier this year, when several private hospitals either canceled appointments or rolled back gender-affirming care in response to the president’s executive order, James warned those providers of their obligation under New York State law to provide services without discriminating on the basis of sex or gender identity. Then, in August, James led New York in a joint effort with 15 other states and the District of Columbia in a similar lawsuit against the Trump administration’s moves to restrict gender-affirming care.
On Dec. 24 — a day many workers are on leave for the holiday — spokespersons at several New York City-based hospitals did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the status of gender-affirming care following the administration’s proposed changes. New York City Health + Hospitals has not responded to multiple requests for comment since the proposals were rolled out on Dec. 18.
