Keck Medicine Has Maintained Gender-Affirming Care
Los Angeles health providers continue services amid shifting federal funding rules and recent institutional closures.
Updated on Oct. 13, 2026 in Healthcare
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Should university-affiliated medical centers continue to provide gender-affirming care services despite federal funding pressures?
Keck Medicine of USC and USC Student Health have maintained their gender-affirming care programs following a series of federal funding restrictions. The institutions earned an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader designation in June 2026 despite the closure of similar programs elsewhere in the city.
Why it matters
Patients remain concerned about losing medical access due to the current political environment and evolving executive orders. These health providers have continued to offer hormone therapy, counseling, and surgery consultations even as other local facilities have shuttered to ensure regulatory compliance.
The gender-affirming care program at Keck Medicine of USC has been active since 2013 and has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader eight times. This total includes six designations achieved by 2022 prior to the program hiring a nurse care coordinator.
The players
Keck Medicine of USC
This academic medical center is the clinical enterprise of the University of Southern California and provides integrated specialized health services.
USC Student Health
This department oversees the medical and mental health services provided to the student population at the University of Southern California.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
This pediatric academic medical center previously operated a Center for Transyouth and Development that closed to comply with federal grant requirements.
Aetna
This health insurance provider administers the Student Health Insurance Plan used by USC students to access medical services.
The details
USC coordinates gender-affirming services across surgery, family medicine, and additional specialties, with students accessing care via the Engemann Student Health Center. The Student Health Insurance Plan through Aetna continues to cover both hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery, while USC navigates federal statements regarding grant fund usage.
Timeline
The gender-affirming care program was founded at USC in 2013.
The program reached six LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader designations by 2022.
USC received a federal statement regarding the use of grant funds in February 2026.
Keck Medicine of USC and USC Student Health earned the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader designation in June 2026.
The federal government issued a rule in August 2026 that restricts certain Medicaid and CHIP funding for specific treatments.
Market Landscape
The institution is operating in strict alignment with Health Resources and Services Administration grant fund requirements to ensure continued medical delivery. This strategy marks a departure from the closure of the Center for Transyouth and Development at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, which ceased operations to maintain federal funding eligibility.
Students and patients can currently access covered hormone therapy and surgery consultations through university-affiliated programs and Aetna insurance plans. While these services remain available, patients should monitor future updates regarding insurance coverage as federal funding rules for gender-affirming care continue to evolve.
The takeaway
Maintaining access to specialized care often requires health systems to navigate complex federal funding restrictions. Patients are encouraged to verify current coverage details with their insurance providers regularly as administrative policies shift.
Further reading
Learn more about local clinical operations in our Healthcare section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Trojan.
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Should university-affiliated medical centers continue to provide gender-affirming care services despite federal funding pressures?
