Federal Judge Overturns HHS Secretary’s Gender-Affirming Care Directive

On April 18, a federal district judge in Oregon issued a ruling overturning HHS Secretary Kennedy’s Dec. 18, 2025 directive, which excluded from participation in Medicare and Medicaid any health care facilities providing gender-affirming care to minors. The court’s opinion states that Secretary Kennedy’s authority unilaterally—and without any process of law—tried to supersede professional standards of care for gender-affirming services as applicable in the states filing suit against the Secretary. For an in-depth analysis of DOJ’s investigation into gender-affirming care for minors, see HLB’s February Insight.