Overview
- In a Feb. 9 letter, Baystate said it will no longer prescribe puberty blockers or hormone therapy to patients under 18 but will continue mental-health counseling.
- Medication management for affected youths will be transferred to Transhealth or another provider chosen by the patient.
- Baystate said the move responds to an evolving regulatory landscape that threatens hundreds of millions of dollars tied to Medicare and Medicaid, noting nearly 70% of its patients rely on those programs.
- Massachusetts public health commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein said gender-affirming care remains legal in the state and described it as evidence-based treatment.
- The change follows federal proposals to restrict coverage and hospital participation for youth gender-affirming care, a shift experts warn could function as a de facto national ban as other New England providers scale back services.