At least six major hospitals in the US have made deals with the Department of Justice to refuse gender-affirming hormones and surgery for young transgender individuals. The move has marked quite an escalation in the federal government's effort to restrict gender-affirming care across the country. The latest agreements, announced on September 18, involve New York University Langone Health and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). They follow Mount Sinai Health System, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Texas Children's Hospital. Under the agreements, the hospitals will not provide puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or gender-affirming surgeries to patients under 18. The DOJ uses the term "sex-rejecting procedures" for these treatments, while medical organisations and healthcare providers generally use the term gender-affirming care. Why Is The DOJ Targeting These Hospitals? Also read: CDC Youth Report: US Teen Mental Health, Suicide Risk Improve; Sleep, Low Exercise Remain ConcernsThe agreements stem from a nationwide investigation by the Justice Department that was launched after President Donald Trump directed the DOJ in 2025 to prioritise investigations involving gender-affirming care for minors. The DOJ says it is examining potential violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, False Claims Act and other federal healthcare laws, including allegations that providers used false diagnosis codes to obtain insurance or government payments for treatments. The DOJ has also subpoenaed hospitals for information about patients who received gender-affirming care, including sensitive medical records. Attorney General Todd Blanche said the DOJ is "fighting to protect our nation's children" and working to reach agreements with hospitals to end what the administration calls gender-affirming care for minors. However, the legal status of the allegations cannot be neglected. The DOJ itself says the claims resolved through these agreements are just allegations and that there has been no determination of any kind of liability. NYU and UPMC have denied the allegations. NYU And UPMC Deals Also read: ‘Life-Saving’ Martha’s Rule To Expand To Emergency Departments Across England: What It MeansNYU Langone agreed to pay the federal government $8.5 million, while UPMC has agreed to pay $950,000. Both have agreed to stop providing gender-affirming medical treatments to minors. The settlements also resolve the DOJ investigations and protect confidential information involving patients, families and healthcare providers that had been sought through earlier subpoenas. NYU had already stopped its transgender youth programme in February, citing the "current regulatory environment." However, its agreement with DOJ does not affect its pediatric mental-health programmes transgender children. Similarly, UPMC's agreement applies to patients under 18. Other Hospitals That Have Agreed The six hospital systems that have agreed to the DOJ deals are: Texas Children's Hospital, in May 2026, ended specified treatments worth more than $10 million in payments/damages and penaltiesIn June this year, Cleveland Clinic, agreed to end specified pediatric treatmentsIn August, Connecticut Children's stopped treatments and incurred monetary penalty and $500,000 for medical careMount Sinai Health System, in September 2026, too ended care and paid monetary penalty and $2 million for medical careNYU Langone, stopped treatments and care in September and bore $8.5 million paymentUPMC, too, ended treatments and paid $950,000 in the dealsThese agreements apply to the individual hospital systems that signed them. They do not by themselves create a nationwide federal ban on gender-affirming care for minors. Some states have enacted restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, while other states have laws protecting access to such care. The agreements generally concern future provision of gender-affirming treatment to minors. They do not eliminate the hospitals' overall pediatric mental-health care services. The settlements demonstrate how the DOJ investigation has created a difficult choice for hospitals. They can either fight the government's allegations in court and reveal sensitive patient information or reach an agreement that ends the investigation while restricting the treatments in question. NYU said its agreement was intended to protect patient from prolonged litigation and to preserve their confidentiality. The six settlements therefore represent more than individual hospital policy changes. They show how the Trump administration is using federal investigations, healthcare-fraud laws and settlement agreements to influence access to gender-affirming care for minors.