Baystate Health, the largest healthcare system in western Massachusetts, announced it will no longer prescribe puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones to those under 18. A letter about the change was sent to patients and their guardians on February 9. The system cited concerns about protecting funding in the face of evolving regulatory requirements from the Trump administration.
In a statement, Baystate Health said the decision “offers patients the specialized expertise and continuity of care they need and deserve and reflects the evolving regulatory landscape that threatens hundreds of millions of dollars in hospital Medicaid and Medicare funding.” Nearly 70 percent of Baystate Health’s patients rely on Medicaid and Medicare for coverage, and the system serves approximately 800,000 residents of Western Massachusetts. Patients involved in the program will now be transferred to Transhealth, a nonprofit healthcare organization in Massachusetts, or another provider of their choice.
The Trump administration has warned that hospitals providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or certain surgical procedures to minors could risk losing federal funding. In December, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed regulations that would bar hospitals from performing what it termed “sex-rejecting procedures on children under age 18” as a condition of participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Baystate Health’s move follows similar actions by other hospital systems. Earlier in February, NYU Langone Health made a similar decision, ending its transgender program for young people. NYU Langone stated in a release that the decision was “given the recent departure of our medical director, coupled with the current regulatory environment.”
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons updated its guidance, recommending medical professionals delay gender-related surgical procedures until patients are adults, with recommendations that “surgeons delay gender-related breast/chest, genital, and facial surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old.” The organization stated it found “insufficient evidence” that the procedures have a positive risk-benefit ratio.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://headtopics.com/news/massachusetts-healthcare-giant-ends-youth-gender-care-to-80048545