San Diego Superior Court Judge Matthew Braner this week allowed Rady Children’s Hospital to limit gender-affirming medical care to some new patients.
Kathie Moehlig, who runs TransFamily Support Services, said the decision will leave families with few alternatives.
“If there is a new patient who is on the cusp of starting puberty, (Rady Children's Hospital) could then provide them with puberty blockers. But outside of that, they would not take any new patients,” she said of the ruling.
Earlier this year, Rady announced it would stop providing gender-affirming medical care because of a fear of losing federal funding. The hospital receives reimbursements from Medicaid — known as Medi-Cal in the state.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued, arguing the hospital must continue offering the services under conditions tied to its merger with Children’s Hospital of Orange County.
In February, Judge Braner ordered Rady to continue providing care, except for surgeries.
“This is necessary health care,” Moehlig said. “When people put barriers to any kind of necessary care, whether it's…treatment for cancer, treatment for diabetes, any of those things, the general population suffers greatly from it. This is no different.”
The next closest option for care is in Los Angeles, she said.
“Then our families have to travel, which means parents taking time off work, kids missing school, the cost of travel,” she said. “The expense of the whole thing becomes a burden and overwhelming for these families just to get their child the appropriate healthcare that they need.”
That also means having to navigate insurance restrictions.
“You're going to be stepping outside your insurance, you're going to have to fight with them to cover someone that's not within network,” she said. “For our families that are covered under Medi-Cal, that becomes even more of a challenge.”
In an emailed statement to KPBS, a Rady Children's Hospital spokesperson said, “We’re reviewing the details and impact of the ruling. We are unable to comment further on active litigation at this time.”
The next court date is in January 2027.
