Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- H.R. 2107
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Health
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-03-14: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2025-04-04T13:44:22Z
AI-Generated Summary
Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2025 (H.R. 2107)
Purpose
This bill reauthorizes a federal program that provides payments to children's hospitals for operating graduate medical education (GME) programs, which train doctors in pediatric care. It extends the program through 2030 and increases funding, while adding restrictions on payments to hospitals that provide certain medical procedures and drugs related to gender transition for minors under 18.
Key Provisions
- Reauthorization Period: Extends the program from its previous end date of 2023 to fiscal year (FY) 2030.
- Funding Levels:
- Allocates $124 million annually for FY 2026 through 2030 for direct GME payments.
- Allocates $261 million annually for FY 2026 through 2030 for indirect medical education payments (to cover additional costs of teaching programs).
- Payment Prohibition (Starting FY 2026): Bars payments to any children's hospital that, in the prior fiscal year, provided "specified procedures and drugs" to individuals under 18. For FY 2026, this applies only to the period from September 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, with payments allowed for the first part of the year.
- Specified Procedures and Drugs: Includes surgeries to alter the body to not match an individual's birth sex (e.g., castration, hysterectomy, vaginoplasty, mastectomy, or facial feminization/masculinization surgeries) and medications like puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones (e.g., estrogen or testosterone in amounts beyond natural production).
- Exceptions: Does not apply to treatments for precocious puberty (early puberty), genetic disorders of sex development (e.g., conditions like 46,XX with virilization), corrections for abnormalities confirmed by genetic or biochemical tests, complications from prior procedures, or life-saving interventions unrelated to gender transition. Mental or behavioral health services for gender dysphoria (without these procedures/drugs) are explicitly allowed.
- Definition of Sex: Defines "sex" based on biological factors at birth, such as chromosomes, hormones, gonads, and genitalia.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Extension and Funding Increase: Previously authorized through FY 2023 with lower funding caps; now extends to FY 2030 and raises annual funding amounts as noted above.
- New Restriction on Payments: Introduces a first-time prohibition tying federal GME funding to hospitals' avoidance of gender-affirming medical interventions for minors, with detailed definitions and exceptions. This amends Section 340E of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 256e) by adding subsections on prohibitions and definitions.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will need to administer the extended program, verify hospital compliance with the new prohibition (e.g., through audits or reporting), and distribute increased funds, potentially straining oversight resources.
- On Citizens: Children's hospitals may face funding cuts if they provide restricted care, possibly leading to reduced GME programs and fewer trained pediatric specialists. Minors seeking gender-affirming care and their families could experience limited access at federally supported hospitals, though exceptions preserve care for certain medical conditions. Overall, it supports ongoing pediatric training but restricts funding based on specific treatments.
- On International Relations: Minimal direct impact, as this is a domestic health funding program focused on U.S. hospitals.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Children's Hospitals: Primary recipients of payments; must comply with the prohibition to maintain funding for GME programs.
- Medical Professionals and Trainees: Pediatric doctors and GME participants benefit from sustained funding but may face policy shifts in hospital practices.
- Pediatric Patients and Families: Particularly those with gender dysphoria, who may encounter barriers to certain treatments at affected hospitals; others with congenital conditions are protected by exceptions.
- Federal Government: HHS and Congress, responsible for program implementation and budgeting.
- Advocacy Groups: Organizations focused on pediatric care, LGBTQ+ rights, or child health may be indirectly involved in compliance or legal responses.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: The prohibition could invite challenges under laws like the Affordable Care Act (on discrimination) or constitutional rights (e.g., equal protection or parental rights), as it conditions federal funding on restricting specific medical practices. Exceptions aim to limit scope to non-gender-related care, but enforcement mechanisms are not detailed, potentially leading to disputes over definitions like "medically necessary."
- Constitutional: May raise questions about federal interference in medical decision-making or state authority over healthcare, though it targets federal funding rather than banning procedures outright.
- Political: As a reauthorization with a controversial restriction on gender-affirming care for minors, it reflects partisan divides (introduced by Republican members) and could influence broader debates on youth healthcare, funding priorities, and bioethics without altering non-federal hospital operations.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (11)
Rep. Miller, Mary E. [R-IL-15], Rep. Miller-Meeks, Mariannette [R-IA-1], Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11], Rep. Ellzey, Jake [R-TX-6], Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2], Rep. Green, Mark E. [R-TN-7], Rep. Rouzer, David [R-NC-7], Rep. Harshbarger, Diana [R-TN-1], Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6], Rep. Jackson, Ronny [R-TX-13], Rep. Franklin, Scott [R-FL-18]
Recent Actions
- 2025-03-14: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2025-03-14: Introduced in House
- 2025-03-14: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Children’s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2025 — issued 2025-03-14 — PDF (8 pages)