Gender-affirming care funding at risk in new bill
NEW YORK (PIX11) — The future of gender affirming care for some transgender people is up in the air as lawmakers in Washington, D.C., consider President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.'
An amendment added to the bill would prohibit federal Medicaid funding from being used for gender-affirming care for not only minors, but also transgender adults.
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David Kilmnick, with the LGBT Network, tells PIX11 News the bill also proposes removing gender transition coverage for people who use health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Micah Schneider, a trans person who works for the LGBT Network, says there is so much fearmongering and misunderstanding about gender affirming care. Schneider said, 'Gender affirming care is literally anything that makes you feel good in your skin. Hair implants for cis gender men; gender affirming care. Breast augmentation; gender affirming care.'
Schneider tells PIX11 News, 'We're just every day normal folk trying to live our lives.'
Dr. Jennifer Osipoff, a pediatric endocrinologist at Stony Brook Medicine, said gender affirming care includes everything from counseling to hormone therapy to puberty blockers. Osipoff said, 'I am hopeful that insurance will continue to pay for these therapies, that is one of the things that I do discuss now, that I never did before with my patients, because they want to know the worst case.'
She adds: 'I don't fault families at all for trying to think of a solution, because they're literally trying to keep their child healthy, happy, and alive.'
Gender affirming surgery is only performed on individuals 19 and above at Stony Brook Medicine.
The FBI issued an official statement via 'X' on June 2nd stating, 'Help the FBI protect children. As the Attorney General has made clear, we will protect our children and hold accountable those who mutilate them under the guise of gender-affirming care. Report tips of any hospitals, clinics, or practitioners performing these surgical procedures on children at 1-800-CALL-FBI or click here.
The CDC reports that it is rare that gender affirming surgery is ever performed on minors.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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