The Trump administration today took its most significant moves yet in a wide-ranging effort

to restrict gender-affirming medical care for minors.

The Department of Health and Human Services unveiled a series of actions meant to effectively

ban transition-related medical treatments nationwide for those under the age of 18.

Stephanie Sy has more.

Jeff and Omna, the moves announced today include cutting off federal Medicare and Medicaid funding

from hospitals that provide those treatments and prohibiting Medicaid funding from paying for such

care. Here's what Secretary Kennedy had to say. This morning I signed a declaration,

sex rejecting procedures are neither safe nor effective treatment for children with gender dysphoria.

These procedures failed to me professionally recognized standards of care. Medical professionals

or entities providing sex rejecting procedures to children are out of compliance with these standards of health care.

We'll delve into those controversial assertions in a moment, but we should say that before these policies are enacted, there's a lengthy rulemaking process that has to take place, and groups such as the ACLU are already threatening

lawsuits. To break some of this down, I'm joined now by Selena Simmons Duffin, who covers

health policy for NPR and was at today's announcement. Selina, thank you so much for joining

us. We know that about 45% of hospital spending comes from Medicare and Medicaid.

So threatening to cut that off would be existential, I imagine, for most hospitals.

Even though these are only proposed rule changes. Now, are we going to see widespread stoppage in this care?

What might the impact be?

Yeah, I mean, children's hospitals have been pioneers in this treatment for transgender

young people, which can include puberty blockers, hormone therapy. Very rarely, it can

include surgery. But part of the reason why children's

hospitals are attractive to parents, children who are considering this treatment, is because

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