Medicine’s Embrace of Child Gender Transition Driven by Money

Before his debate with Governor Tim Walz, Republican vice-presidential nominee Senator J. D. Vance slammed his Democratic counterpart for making Minnesota a “trans refuge” for children. Vance is right to highlight the medical and moral monstrosity of an establishment that encourages young boys and girls who feel that they must change their gender. But it’s also true that massive amounts of money are at stake. Medical providers stand to earn a windfall from children’s gender-transition procedures, which helps explain why the industry has endorsed the most aggressive treatments for gender dysphoria.

That’s our conclusion after looking at transgender medical interventions — puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries — performed on minors at children’s hospitals and affiliated health systems between 2019 and 2023. The facilities for which there are publicly available data provided nearly 14,000 treatments (including 5,700 surgeries) at a total cost to insurance companies and taxpayers of nearly $120 million. The real numbers are almost certainly higher, since major health systems such as Kaiser Permanente don’t disclose data, nor do patients who pay out of pocket.

SG

About the Author

Stanley Goldfarb

Stanley Goldfarb, a former associate dean at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, is the chairman of Do No Harm.

RE

About the Author

Roy Eappen

Roy Eappen is a practicing endocrinologist and senior fellow at Do No Harm.

Featured Tags

Before his debate with Governor Tim Walz, Republican vice-presidential nominee Senator J. D. Vance slammed his Democratic counterpart for making Minnesota a “trans refuge” for children. Vance is right to highlight the medical and moral monstrosity of an establishment that encourages young boys and girls who feel that they must change their gender. But it’s also true that massive amounts of money are at stake. Medical providers stand to earn a windfall from children’s gender-transition procedures, which helps explain why the industry has endorsed the most aggressive treatments for gender dysphoria.

That’s our conclusion after looking at transgender medical interventions — puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgeries — performed on minors at children’s hospitals and affiliated health systems between 2019 and 2023. The facilities for which there are publicly available data provided nearly 14,000 treatments (including 5,700 surgeries) at a total cost to insurance companies and taxpayers of nearly $120 million. The real numbers are almost certainly higher, since major health systems such as Kaiser Permanente don’t disclose data, nor do patients who pay out of pocket.