Selena Simmons-Duffin

Similarly, the American Academy of Pediatrics sent a statement that the group, quote, Okay, but the Trump administration is describing the plastic surgeon's position statement as a watershed.

Yeah, and the context is that the White House has made restricting or even ending medical care for transgender youth a key goal.

In December, they proposed a rule that would withhold all Medicaid funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to children and teens.

Even though it hasn't been finalized, just that threat has been shuttering hospital gender clinics all over the country because hospitals really can't afford to operate without that federal funding.

And that means access is starting to shut down for people in the two dozen states that don't have state laws banning the care, which is the Trump administration's stated goal.

I should say that not everyone agrees with the idea that this position statement is a watershed moment.

Kellen Baker is a health researcher at an LGBTQ think tank called the Movement Advancement Project.

He told me that the ASPS position actually aligns with the current standard of care for transgender youth.

Baker argues that it works to the Trump administration's advantage to describe this as a turning point, as a medical group finally seeing the light without acknowledging the political pressure that the Trump administration itself has been exerting to get this outcome.

You're welcome.

Americans over age 65 are pretty evenly split.

About half get their health insurance directly from the federal government, traditional Medicare.

The other half buy private health insurance plans known as Medicare Advantage.

Companies often advertise to younger, healthier Medicare patients and attract them with perks and extra benefits.

Those plans also cost the government more per patient.

For years, Republicans have touted this privatized version of Medicare, but the Trump administration's tone has turned more critical this term.

The flat funding notice from the government sent the stocks of health insurance companies tumbling downward.

Selina Simmons-Duffin, NPR News.

A fact sheet about Trump's health care plan says it would, quote, execute the president's vision to send money directly to the American people.

Cynthia Cox of the nonpartisan health research organization KFF says the details are sparse.