Kaiser to halt gender-affirming surgery for patients under 19 across the US, including Oregon and Washington
By Amelia Templeton (OPB)
Kaiser members can seek referrals to outside providers, a spokesperson said.
Kaiser Permanente will no longer provide surgical treatments for gender dysphoria at its hospitals and surgical centers for patients under the age of 19.
The pause on some procedures is effective Aug. 29.
The decision, made at Kaiser’s Oakland headquarters, applies to Kaiser facilities across the country, including those in Oregon and Washington.
In a statement, Kaiser officials cited the federal government’s campaign against gender-affirming care for minors, including actions agencies have taken to restrict funding for it and subpoenas the U.S. Department of Justice issued earlier this month to doctors and clinics providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth, as part of a federal investigation.
FILE – A protester is silhouetted against a trans pride flag during a pro-transgender rights protest in April. Kaiser Permanente has announced they will pause gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19. Lindsey Wasson / AP
Following the decision, Oregon attorney general Dan Rayfield said he is actively working with providers to ensure they understand their rights under state law.
“These are deeply personal medical decisions that should be made between providers and their patients — informed by medical science and research, not dictated by shifting federal politics or threats to funding,” he said in a provided statement.
State law requires commercial health insurers to cover all treatments for gender dysphoria that are deemed medically necessary, and to ensure that treatments are accessible to all their members without unreasonable delay or out-of-pocket costs.
Kaiser said it will still provide patients referrals for gender-affirming care surgeries “to the extent those services are available,” according to a spokesperson. If a member is able to find another surgeon, the out-of-pocket costs will be the same as if a member had received those services from a Kaiser provider.
Kaiser is one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the country, with more than 12 million members in eight states. There are more than 600,000 Kaiser members in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
In the statement, Kaiser officials mention a July 9th presentation by the Federal Trade Commission, which was convened as the agency considers whether to investigate providers of gender affirming care for minors for engaging in deceptive trade practices, according to the FTC’s chair.
That public presentation included screenshots of personal medical records from transgender patients of Kaiser Permanente and OHSU, as the Lund Report first reported.
Kaiser said it had reached its decision in consultation with its doctors, and that it would continue to meet with regulators, patients, and their families “with the goal of identifying a responsible path forward.”
Hospitals and health systems around the country, facing escalating legal and regulatory pressure, have made sweeping changes to programs serving transgender children and young adults in recent months. Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C. announced that it will stop prescribing gender-affirming medications for its patients. Children’s Hospital LA closed its pediatric clinic for transgender patients outright.
Last week, UChicago Medicine announced it was fully discontinuing all gender-affirming pediatric care this month, citing “emerging federal actions” which could put at risk its ability to care for all Medicare and Medicaid patients.
While Kaiser is pausing surgeries, its doctors will continue to provide all nonsurgical care and treatment to transgender patients, including implantable hormone treatments, the spokesperson said.
Correction: An earlier version of this story’s headline incorrectly stated the age of patients affected by Kaiser’s pause on surgery. Surgery remains available for patients 19 and older. OPB regrets the error.