Kaiser Permanente to stop gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 [View all]

"The move echoes recent moves by other major providers, like Stanford Health, in the wake of Trump’s executive order.

Kaiser Permanente, the largest health care provider in California, will halt gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 as of August 29.

Kaiser, which covers roughly one in four Californians, follows Stanford Health and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) in scaling back previously available treatments or closing care programs for transgender youth outright.

California has protective laws around health care that extend to youth from other states seeking services in the “sanctuary” of the Golden State. Yet the threat of federal funding cuts ingrained in an executive order by President Donald Trump to ban gender-affirming care for those under 19 nationwide has prompted some of the institutions that offer hormone treatments, surgery and mental health resources for young transgender people to stop some procedures.

A statement issued by Kaiser cited the pressures faced by hospitals providing care to transgender kids since January, when Trump took office. These include actions by federal agencies to restrict funding and curtail access to gender-affirming care, hospital inquiries by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, regulatory changes to coverage and broader oversight by agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Justice issued subpoenas to doctors and clinics providing gender-affirming care as part of its federal investigations.

https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/07/24/kaiser-permanente-to-stop-gender-affirming-surgeries-for-patients-under-19/