At least six major U.S. hospital systems have reached agreements with the Department of Justice over the treatment of transgender minors, marking another major development in the ongoing national debate over gender-affirming healthcare.
The latest agreements involve NYU Langone Hospitals in New York and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Under the agreements, the two healthcare systems will not provide certain gender-affirming treatments, including puberty blockers, hormone treatments and related surgical procedures, to patients under 19.
NYU and UPMC Agree to Payments
As part of their agreements with the federal government, NYU Langone agreed to pay $8.5 million, while UPMC agreed to pay $950,000.
The Justice Department said the agreements resolve investigations into potential violations of federal healthcare laws.
However, the agreements do not represent admissions of wrongdoing. The DOJ said the claims are allegations and that there has been no determination of liability. Both NYU and UPMC have denied the allegations.
Patient Privacy Was Also a Key Issue
The agreements also address federal demands for information related to patients who previously received gender-affirming care.
NYU Langone said its agreement removes the possibility that it would have to provide confidential information involving patients under 18 who had received such care.
The hospital said it entered the agreement to protect patients, families and healthcare providers from prolonged legal proceedings, while explicitly denying wrongdoing or liability.
Six Hospital Systems Have Now Reached Agreements
The NYU and UPMC agreements follow earlier agreements involving Mount Sinai Health System, Texas Children’s Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
According to AP, most of the six healthcare systems had already stopped providing some or all of the treatments covered by the agreements, either because of state restrictions or policy changes made after actions by the Trump administration.
The Justice Department has said its broader investigation is continuing and involves potential violations of federal healthcare laws, including allegations related to billing practices.
The Policy Debate Continues
The agreements come as access to gender-affirming healthcare for minors has become increasingly restricted across the United States.
AP reports that at least 27 states have laws restricting or prohibiting some forms of gender-affirming care for minors. At the same time, major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, have continued to support access to such care in some circumstances.
The Trump administration has taken several federal actions aimed at limiting access to gender-transition-related medical care for people under 19.
Despite those changes, gender-affirming care remains available through some hospitals, clinics and individual physicians in the United States.
What Happens Next?
The Justice Department’s investigation into other healthcare providers is still ongoing.
The latest agreements also highlight the broader legal battle surrounding patient records, federal healthcare rules and access to medical treatment for transgender minors.
For the hospitals involved, the agreements resolve the federal investigations concerning them, while allowing their pediatric mental-health programs to continue. NYU also confirmed that care for patients who are 18 and older is unaffected by its agreement.
The issue is likely to remain part of the wider legal and political debate over healthcare policy in the United States.
CelebScooop will continue to follow the story as additional verified developments emerge.