WALLINGFORD – The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) released the following statement in response to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed rules to cut off federal Medicaid and Medicare funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to minors:
“The federal administration has been relentless in advancing actions that pose serious threats to healthcare providers and access to gender-affirming care. Hospitals and caregivers are being forced to navigate increasingly complex and difficult decisions as the federal government wields very real threats that could jeopardize care for all patients.
“These latest actions are aggressive, alarming, and follow a pattern of efforts by federal agencies – including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Trade Commission – that seek to bring the full weight of the federal government to bear on this issue.
“Patients must come first and Connecticut hospitals are continuing to help families navigate care. Threatening healthcare providers and holding Medicare and Medicaid funding hostage are devastating tactics intended to leave hospitals with little choice. We are grateful for the continued support of Governor Ned Lamont and for the ongoing dialogue with state officials and leaders, which remains essential to understanding the impact of these increasing federal actions and to working collaboratively on solutions that protect patient care and access.”
Additional background information:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ proposed regulatory actions to carry out the presidential executive order, December 18, 2025: https://www.hhs.gov/press-room/hhs-acts-bar-hospitals-performing-sex-rejecting-procedures-children.html
- Executive Order 14187, January 2025: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/protecting-children-from-chemical-and-surgical-mutilation/
- HHS Report Issued May 1, 2025: https://opa.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-05/gender-dysphoria-report-exec-summary.pdf
- CMS Letter Requesting Information from Hospitals Related to Gender-Affirming Care, May 28, 2025: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/hospital-oversight-letter-generic.pdf
- HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Letter to Healthcare Providers and Medical Boards on May 28, 2025 Urging Updates to Treatment Protocols and Noting “HHS may soon undertake new policies and oversight actions, consistent with applicable law, to ensure the protection of children, and to hold providers that harm children accountable”: https://x.com/HHSGov/status/1927791449476567043
- DOJ Subpoenas July, 2025: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-subpoenas-doctors-and-clinics-involved-performing-transgender-medical
- FTC Probe of Deceptive Practices Related to Gender-Affirming Care for Minors, Announced at Workshop July 9, 2025: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/events/2025/07/dangers-gender-affirming-care-minors
