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Witness urges H.R. 498 to bar federal Medicaid funding for certain gender-transition procedures for minors
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Summary
An unidentified witness testifying before the Energy and Commerce Committee urged support for H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, saying it would bar federal Medicaid dollars from specified gender-transition procedures for people under 18 while preserving other medical care and citing a CBO estimate of $445 million in savings over 10 years.
An unnamed witness testifying before the Energy and Commerce Committee urged passage of H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, saying the bill would prohibit the use of federal Medicaid dollars for specified gender-transition procedures for people under the age of 18 while preserving access to other necessary medical care.
The witness said House Republicans, “especially my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee,” have focused this year on “rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program” and framed H.R. 498 as part of that effort to create a “sustainable financial future for the Medicaid program.” The testimony listed groups the witness said the program should preserve care for, including “expectant mothers, their children, low income seniors, [and] individuals with disabilities.”
On the bill itself, the speaker said, “H.R. 498, the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act prohibits federal Medicaid dollars from going towards specific gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18.” The testimony cited a Congressional Budget Office estimate that “this bill will save taxpayers $445,000,000 over a decade” as a fiscal rationale for the change.
Addressing access to care, the witness stated, “I want to make it abundantly clear this legislation does not prevent minors from accessing medical care that they truly need,” adding that it “simply prohibits the use of federal Medicaid funding on specified gender transition procedures that are medically unnecessary.” The speaker framed the proposal as a funding restriction rather than a ban on care provision outside federal Medicaid funding.
The witness also said the legislation builds on prior Republican legislation, noting it “builds upon our work done in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to create a more sustainable financial future for Medicaid and preserve the program for those who truly need it.” The testimony concluded and the speaker yielded back. The excerpt contains no vote or formal committee action.
