New Mexico has announced it will continue to fund gender-affirming care for minors, utilising state funds to cover services previously supported by federal Medicaid. This decision follows a Trump administration rule, finalised on 13 August, which will cease federal funding for gender-affirming care through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (Chip) from 13 October.
Timothy Fowler, a spokesperson for New Mexico's state health care authority, confirmed that the Health Care Authority intends to continue covering these services. New Mexico established its Health Care Affordability Fund in 2021, which Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham stated was created for situations where federal support for vulnerable families is withdrawn.
New Mexico has become a significant location for gender-affirming healthcare in the south-west US, with 41.4% of its population enrolled in Medicaid or Chip. In 2023, the state legislature passed a Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Freedom Act. Neighbouring New Jersey also recently announced it would protect access to gender-affirming care through a new shield law.