The Trump administration is hurting kids and terrorizing families. It has to stop.

By Luis A. Vasquez

Transition-related healthcare is lifesaving healthcare.

And this isn’t something we’ve just learned: Decades of research and lived experiences make it clear that for so many in our trans community, access to this evidence-based care is what has allowed them to live and thrive as their true, authentic selves.

But Donald Trump doesn’t agree.

His administration has been unrelenting in its attacks on transgender people. This week, they issued a final rule that seeks to place lifesaving healthcare out of reach for some of our most marginalized youth.

Bottom line: No child deserves to go through this.

Under the terms of this rule, transgender young people who are currently accessing essential care through their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) benefits will no longer be able to use that coverage to pay for certain medical interventions, such as hormone treatments and puberty blockers, to treat their gender dysphoria. Because of the way the laws that created these benefits are written, these restrictions will apply to youth under age 18 for Medicaid, and to people under age 19 for CHIP.

Let’s be clear about what this rule means—and what it doesn’t.

First: This rule is not in effect at the moment.

Transgender young people can continue using their Medicaid and CHIP benefits to access care until October 13, 2026. Even then, the rule will allow them to continue using their benefits to access hormone treatments—but not other care, like puberty blockers—for an additional six months, provided that they started these treatments before October 13th.

Next: This rule is not a blanket ban on transition-related healthcare for youth.

Families that have access to other sources of funding, including private insurance and state-funded Medicaid and CHIP programs that don’t rely on federal dollars, will still be able to access care for their loved ones once the rule has taken effect. State laws that protect access to this care for trans youth are still in place. Pro-equality lawmakers MUST pursue all available avenues to preserve access to this care well into the future.

But we cannot ignore the reality that this rule will place care out of reach for some of our most vulnerable and marginalized community members, including low-income families who rely on these benefits to be able to access healthcare in the first place. This will affect families all across the country, including those who live in “blue” states with protections for trans people. It’s devastating. And it’s unacceptable.

This rule DOES NOT cut off access to mental health care, including supportive treatments, for gender dysphoria.

Families who rely on Medicaid and CHIP benefits to access mental health professionals can continue using those funds to access mental health treatments for their transgender children—even once the rule takes full effect and without needing to start that care now.

This rule does not change the truth about transition-related healthcare.

Despite the Trump administration’s lies to the contrary, the undeniable reality is that transition-related healthcare is lifesaving healthcare for many transgender people. It is safe, effective, and every major medical organization in the United States supports it. Medical providers across the country offer these services by following well-established, evidence-based standards of care, just like other medical treatments that have long been covered by federal programs and benefits. A recent study from the Trevor Project shows that transgender youth with access to hormone replacement therapy medications have lower rates of depression and are at a lower risk for suicide. Providers following best practices across the country already work to ensure transition-related care is being delivered to transgender youth in an age-appropriate manner, following close consultation with their families and medical & mental health professionals.

This rule is an attack on all of us.

If the Trump administration can take away access to healthcare from one of us, they can take it from all of us. Medicaid and CHIP are for families with limited economic means. Many of these families cannot simply move to a new state to maintain access to impacted care. In fact, some of these families may already live in a state that protects their access to transition-related healthcare, but will nonetheless be cut off from being able to access care after October 13th due to insurmountable costs.

This is why the Human Rights Campaign has been leading the fight to maintain access to transition-related healthcare for trans people. We will continue to challenge this administration and ensure that healthcare decisions remain with doctors and families, not politicians.

For example, the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, alongside the law firm Correia & Puth, recently filed a class action lawsuit in federal court against the Trump administration to hold them accountable for seeking to end health insurance coverage for transition-related healthcare under the Federal Employee Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits plans.

Because here’s what we know to be true: Transition-related healthcare can significantly improve the lives of people who receive it. And we ALL deserve access to lifesaving healthcare when we need it.

We will not stop fighting until everyone who needs this care—and everyone who deserves access to essential lifelines like Medicaid and CHIP—can meaningfully access it without government interference.

Click here to get the facts on this care, and join us in this fight.