A coalition of blue states is heading to court over the Trump administration's latest move on transgender health care for minors. Nineteen Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia filed suit Tuesday to block a new Health and Human Services policy that would penalize hospitals receiving federal funds if they offer gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers to transgender patients under 18, CNN reports
The proposal, announced Dec. 18 by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., would threaten those hospitals' participation in major federal programs including Medicare and Medicaid. Kennedy has argued the treatments do not "meet professionally recognized standards of care." The states contend the administration is overstepping its authority and violating the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs how federal agencies craft and implement rules. They say the policy unlawfully intrudes on state control over medical practice and disrupts their ability to run Medicaid as Congress intended.
"Secretary Kennedy cannot unilaterally change medical standards by posting a document online," said New York Attorney General Letitia James, per the Washington Post. "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." The lawsuit casts the proposal as part of a broader federal rollback of transgender protections, citing actions including restrictions on military service and the removal of trans-related information from government websites.
Joining New York in the suit are Massachusetts, Oregon, Washington, New York, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Wisconsin, and DC.
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