Abigail Spanberger exploring ‘every option’ to protect Virginia’s trans kids from Trump’s Medicaid cuts

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Friday accused President Donald Trump’s administration of using transgender children as political pawns as a sweeping federal policy threatens to strip Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming medical care from low-income families across the country.The Democratic governor’s remarks, shared with The Advocate by her spokesperson, came days before an October 13 deadline that could force families to pay out of pocket for treatments their children have been receiving, sometimes for years.“This is not a question of whether or not our administration is making a choice to pull back funds,” Spanberger told reporters Friday morning when asked why Virginia was ending coverage. “This is a question of an example once more of a federal government and a Trump administration that is changing access to health care.”Related: Virginia Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger stops previous Republican-led anti-trans policies“Once again, the Trump administration [is] targeting and using as pawns people who rely on Medicaid for their healthcare coverage, and in this case, children,” she continued.Virginia’s Department of Medical Assistance Services announced in a September 24 bulletin that it would stop covering gender dysphoria services for Medicaid beneficiaries younger than 18 and Children’s Health Insurance Program beneficiaries younger than 19 beginning Tuesday.The change follows an August rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that eliminates federal reimbursement for specified gender-affirming treatments, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy. The administration has characterized the treatments as experimental and potentially harmful, despite major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, supporting access to individualized care.The rule allows up to six months of continued federal funding to taper hormone therapy for patients already receiving it.