The House of Representatives has passed H.R. 498, known as the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, which seeks to block federal Medicaid funding from being used for certain gender transition procedures on individuals under 18 years old.
Chairman Brett Guthrie of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce commented, “The Do No Harm in Medicaid Act helps strengthen, sustain, and secure our Medicaid program by ensuring federal Medicaid funding is not used for medically unnecessary care for minors. I’m thankful to my colleague, Representative Dan Crenshaw, for his diligent work in protecting our nation’s children. It’s our duty as members of Congress to support our fellow Americans—especially our most vulnerable—by prohibiting valuable and finite taxpayer dollars from continuing to fund controversial, life-altering gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.”
Representative Dan Crenshaw also expressed his support: “Using Medicaid for unscientific, irreversible procedures on minors is an abominable betrayal of our most vulnerable. This is a crucial step in protecting our children from the depraved actors that would do them harm.”
H.R. 498 specifically prohibits federal Medicaid dollars from paying for specified gender transition treatments or surgeries performed on minors. The bill had previously been included as a provision within H.R. 1, the budget reconciliation bill that passed on May 22, 2025.
According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, this legislation would reduce direct spending for both Medicaid and CHIP programs by $445 million over the period from 2026 to 2035.
Polling data indicates that a majority of Americans are opposed to providing puberty blockers and irreversible surgeries to children.
In related developments, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced new proposed regulations following President Trump’s Executive Order aimed at ending sex-rejecting procedures on minors that could result in permanent harm or alter their physical appearance based on an asserted identity different from their biological sex.
