Story perspectives

Colorado Supreme Court Orders Resumption of Trans Youth Care

5/20/2026

Summary

Story summary

Colorado’s highest court ordered Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors, overturning its suspension.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared the treatments unsafe in January and warned of Medicaid funding loss, prompting the hospital’s pause.
Four transgender girls and their families sued, alleging the pause worsened mental health and increased suicide risk.

History

Historical Context

In 2016 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued Section 1557 regulations, championed by Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, prohibiting gender-identity discrimination in Medicaid and Medicare and covering about 5.5 million transgender beneficiaries. That federal standard underpins the March 2024 Colorado judge’s order forcing Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming care, echoing the earlier rule amid nationwide hospital pauses.

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Story summary

Colorado’s highest court ordered Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming treatment for transgender minors, overturning its suspension.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declared the treatments unsafe in January and warned of Medicaid funding loss, prompting the hospital’s pause.
Four transgender girls and their families sued, alleging the pause worsened mental health and increased suicide risk.

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