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.”

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“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. No comparable transition period exists for puberty blockers. Mental health coverage remains unaffected.

Related: LGBTQ+ ally Abigail Spanberger trounces anti-trans Republican to win Virginia governor’s race

As The Advocate previously reported, the federal regulation does not prohibit states from using their own money to maintain coverage. That distinction has left Democratic governors confronting whether to absorb costs Washington will no longer share.

Illinois announced this week that it would use state funds to preserve coverage through the end of its 2027 fiscal year. California has also established a state-funded mechanism to maintain access.

Spanberger has not announced a similar plan. “We are looking at every option available,” she said Friday.

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The policy is also facing legal challenges. In September, Virginia joined a coalition of states suing the Trump administration, arguing that federal health officials exceeded their authority by overriding states’ decisions about medically necessary care.

Asked whether Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones would continue fighting the restrictions, Spanberger praised his office’s efforts to protect residents losing access to medical treatment but declined to speak for him.

The consequences extend far beyond Virginia. In New Hampshire, four families sued the administration last week to preserve their daughters’ treatment. One family said its 15-year-old daughter’s puberty-blocking medication would cost approximately $70,000 annually without Medicaid coverage, more than the family’s household income.

Former Biden administration health official Adrian Shanker previously told The Advocate that Medicaid was designed to share the costs of medical care, not to single out particular treatments for political restrictions.