Pediatrician Backs Medicaid Restrictions on Youth Gender Treatments, Cites Mental Health Concerns

A prominent pediatric endocrinologist has publicly supported the Department of Health and Human Services’ decision to end Medicaid coverage for youth gender transition procedures announced Tuesday. Dr. Quentin Van Meter, immediate past president of the American College of Pediatricians, stated the restrictions represent appropriate medical policy rather than denial of care to vulnerable populations.

Van Meter told Fox News Digital that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services acted appropriately in blocking funding for medical and surgical interventions. He emphasized that comprehensive mental health treatment addressing underlying conditions driving gender dysphoria constitutes compassionate care, distinguishing between denying treatment and redirecting it toward evidence-based alternatives.

Drawing on 42 years of pediatric experience, including a fellowship at Johns Hopkins in the late 1970s, Van Meter argued that puberty represents a normal biological process rather than a disease state. He contended that procedures designed to interrupt puberty may worsen existing mental health conditions instead of resolving them.

Van Meter referenced a federally funded five-year study titled “The Impact of Early Medical Treatment in Transgender Youth,” initiated by the National Institutes of Health in 2015. The study documented three participant deaths by suicide within two years, yet researchers allegedly withheld publication of results and declined to halt the research after initial deaths.

A 2024 GOP-led Senate committee later scrutinized the study, concluding investigators “intentionally withheld scientific data” showing puberty blockers failed to improve mental health outcomes. The committee documented 11 additional participants reporting suicidal ideation during the research period.

Van Meter criticized the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, which established pediatric sex-change guidelines adopted by major medical organizations. He characterized WPATH’s framework as ideologically driven rather than evidence-based, particularly given an ongoing Federal Trade Commission challenge in Texas court proceedings.

The pediatrician highlighted a growing detransitioner population, noting online support resources receive 600 to 700 monthly visits from individuals seeking to reverse previous transitions. At a March conference, Van Meter encountered approximately 85 people worldwide pursuing detransition, describing it as a “highly complex process” involving reconstructive surgery, medication adjustment and intensive mental health intervention.

Van Meter enumerated irreversible physical consequences from gender transition treatments, including permanent sterilization, sexual dysfunction, diminished bone density, impaired brain development, elevated dementia risk and lifelong conditions requiring continuous medical management.

He proposed systemic policy changes including eliminating federal funding to medical schools teaching gender transition procedures as standard care, extending statute of limitations for detransitioner lawsuits against providers, and auditing clinics for scientific transparency. Van Meter attributed inadequate scrutiny to professional consequences clinicians face for questioning transition protocols.