The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a report, Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of “Gender Medicine,” a commissioned report examining insurance coding practices, perverse financial incentives, and the provision of sex-rejecting procedures for minors.
According to the report, more than 225 hospitals and health systems have established pediatric gender programs nationwide. Additionally, approximately $50 million in insurance claims were filed for puberty blockers billed using an endocrine disorder diagnostic code, and nearly $11 million in claims for patients ages 13-17 were billed using a diagnosis code for “precocious puberty.”
According to Mayo Clinic, “Precocious puberty is when a child’s body starts developing secondary sexual characteristics (the physical changes of puberty) earlier than usual—typically before age 8 in girls or before age 9 in boys.”
Today, Vice President JD Vance, as Chairman of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, and Secretary Kennedy referred hospitals and clinics identified by the report to the Department of Justice and the HHS Office of Inspector General, respectively, for possible violations of federal law.
In a press release announcing the report, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, said, “Doctors and hospitals must put children’s health ahead of ideology and financial gain.”
“This report identifies troubling billing practices that demand scrutiny. HHS will follow the evidence, protect taxpayers, and hold accountable anyone who broke the law or violated the trust of patients and families. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restoring transparency and integrity to American medicine.”
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz added, “CMS has a duty to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent lawfully and honestly. When billing practices obscure what care was actually provided, especially when children are involved, we have an obligation to follow the facts. We will protect the integrity of our programs, demand accountability, and make sure the American people are not footing the bill for sex rejecting procedures that inflict potentially irreversible harm on young patients.”
Hellbound and Down 