Baltimore, Maryland — Maryland joined 18 other states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday in filing a federal lawsuit challenging a Health and Human Services declaration that would bar providers of gender-affirming care for minors from participating in Medicare and Medicaid. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Oregon, argues that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. exceeded his authority and attempted to impose a nationwide ban on a category of medical care without following required rulemaking procedures.
The challenged declaration rebrands gender-affirming care as “sex-rejecting” procedures and asserts that treatments such as puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and surgery are unsafe or ineffective for minors. It further claims to override existing state and national standards of care, a move the states argue violates federal law and intrudes on states’ rights to regulate health care and administer Medicaid programs.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the policy substitutes political ideology for medical judgment, warning it would intimidate providers and deny care to vulnerable youth. The lawsuit notes that Maryland law explicitly requires Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care and allows the state to continue providing it even without federal funds.
Plaintiffs also argue the declaration threatens thousands of hospitals nationwide by conditioning essential federal funding on compliance with a disputed medical stance. Critics say the policy reflects a broader effort by the Trump administration to politicize health care decisions, particularly those affecting transgender adolescents, rather than defer to medical experts and established clinical guidelines.
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