August 19, 2026
The Center for Children’s Advocacy (CCA) strongly condemns the recent announcement by the Federal Government’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to end federal Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding for healthcare for transgender youth. By deliberately mischaracterizing this essential healthcare as “sex-rejecting procedures,” the federal government is using public safety-net programs to interfere with medical decisions that should remain between children, families, and their healthcare providers.
This rule does not prohibit providers from offering transition-related care. Instead, it removes federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for this care, placing it out of reach for many children and families who rely on these programs for access to medically necessary healthcare.
Consistent with our July 2025 statement regarding the impact of hostile federal actions on access to trans healthcare, medical decisions belong to families and healthcare providers—not politicians. Every child deserves access to comprehensive, medically necessary healthcare based on their individual needs and the guidance of qualified medical professionals.
Healthcare for transgender youth is recognized as medically necessary by every major medical and mental health association in the United States, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychological Association, and the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). To deny funding for this care under Medicaid and CHIP is a violation of the core purpose of these programs, which were designed to ensure that children from low-income families do not go without critical health services.
This devastating CMS policy change represents a direct, targeted attack on low-income transgender and gender-diverse youth. Notably, the federal restrictions only apply to treatment for gender dysphoria—meaning, that treatments are available for youth who need them for other medical reasons, but are not available for trans youth. Through CCA’s LGBTQ+ Youth Advocacy Project, the only project in the state providing focused legal services to transgender and gender-diverse youth, we see firsthand the life-saving impact of gender-affirming care. We also see how these restrictions disproportionately harm youth of color and families living in poverty, who already face profound health disparities and systemic barriers to services.
Removing coverage does not eliminate the need for this care – it instead makes access increasingly dependent on a family’s ability to pay. For low-income transgender and gender-diverse youth, including children involved in Connecticut’s child welfare and juvenile justice systems, the consequences will be especially significant.
Healthcare is a fundamental right. A child’s ability to receive evidence-based, compassionate care should never depend on their socioeconomic status. The Center for Children’s Advocacy will not stop fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ youth. CCA will continue working alongside healthcare providers, community partners, advocates, and state leaders to protect access to medically necessary care for transgender and gender-diverse youth and ensure that youth can access necessary care, free from discrimination as codified in Connecticut law.
We remain committed to ensuring that every child—regardless of gender identity, family income, or system involvement—has access to the healthcare and services they need to live safely and authentically.
About the Center for Children’s Advocacy
The Center for Children’s Advocacy is New England’s largest children’s legal rights organization. It was founded in 1997 on a $2,000 budget, in loaned office space over the boiler room at UConn Law School. In the 29 years since, CCA has grown to a stand-alone nonprofit organization with 30 staff and a $3.8 million operating budget. CCA serves children across Connecticut from its offices in Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport.
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