By: Paul Goldberg – Senior Correspondent | LGBT Politics USA

NEW YORK, NY — (September 20, 2026) — NYU Langone Health has reached an $8.5 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice that formally ends covered gender-affirming medical care for minors at one of New York City’s largest health systems, marking another major development in the Trump administration’s campaign to restrict such treatment.




The Justice Department announced the agreement Sept. 18 alongside a separate settlement with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which agreed to pay $950,000. DOJ said the agreements resolve federal investigations involving potential violations of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, False Claims Act and other federal healthcare laws.

Importantly, the settlements do not constitute findings that either hospital violated federal law.

DOJ’s own announcement states that the government’s claims are allegations, that there has been “no determination of liability,” and that NYU Langone and UPMC expressly denied the allegations.

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NYU Langone Denies Wrongdoing

NYU Langone issued its own statement following the settlement, saying it did not enter the agreement because it had committed wrongdoing.

The health system said the agreement resolves the federal investigation while protecting the privacy and confidentiality of patients, their families and providers.

NYU Langone said the resolution removes the threat that it could be required to provide confidential information previously sought by federal investigators concerning patients under 18 who had received gender-affirming care. The institution said the agreement was preferable to prolonged litigation and allows it to remain focused on patient care, research and medical education.

NYU Langone also said the agreement does not affect its pediatric mental-health programs or care provided to patients 18 and older.




Federal Court Had Already Blocked Access to Patient Information

The dispute over patient privacy had already produced a significant federal court ruling.

NYU Langone received a grand-jury subpoena in May seeking information about patients under 18 who received gender-affirming care between 2020 and 2026, along with information concerning providers involved in that care.

But a federal district court subsequently issued a preliminary injunction preventing NYU Langone from disclosing identifying or sensitive health information covered by the litigation and barring DOJ from seeking, receiving, using or retaining that information through the challenged subpoenas.

NYU Langone says it did not turn over patient information or medical records in response to the subpoena.

Lambda Legal, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU said following Friday’s settlement that the injunction remains in effect and that no patient information covered by it was disclosed to DOJ. The organizations strongly criticized the settlement and said they would continue challenging federal actions affecting transgender youth.




DOJ Says Settlement Is Part of Nationwide Investigation

The Trump administration has taken a sharply different position.

DOJ says its investigation is examining potential violations of federal healthcare laws, including allegations involving billing and diagnosis codes used to obtain reimbursement from federal programs and private insurers.

In announcing the settlements, DOJ said its investigation grew out of a 2025 directive from President Donald Trump prioritizing federal enforcement involving gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the department intends to continue pursuing hospitals providing such care.

However, the settlement announcement itself makes clear that the government’s allegations against NYU Langone and UPMC were not adjudicated, and both healthcare systems denied liability.

NYU Had Already Closed Its Youth Program

The settlement formalizes a retreat that had already begun at NYU Langone.

The healthcare system announced in February that it was discontinuing its Transgender Youth Health Program, citing the departure of its medical director and what it described as the current regulatory environment.

That decision came amid an escalating federal effort to restrict gender-affirming medical treatment for people under 19.

The American Academy of Pediatrics continues to support access to comprehensive, developmentally appropriate gender-affirming healthcare for transgender and gender-diverse youth. Its policy also acknowledges that research and clinical understanding in the field continue to evolve.

The Endocrine Society likewise opposed proposed federal restrictions in 2026, maintaining that treatment decisions should be made by qualified medical professionals together with patients and families based on scientific evidence and individual circumstances. Its clinical guidance calls for multidisciplinary assessment and specific eligibility requirements for medical treatment of adolescents.




LGBTQ Advocates Warn of Shrinking Access in New York

For New York LGBTQ advocates, the concern extends beyond one hospital.

Kei Williams, executive director of New Pride Agenda, described the growing withdrawal of major healthcare institutions from transgender youth care as an “encroaching shadow ban” — arguing that care can remain legally permissible while becoming increasingly difficult for families to obtain as providers withdraw services under federal pressure.

Civil-rights organizations representing transgender patients have similarly condemned the NYU Langone and Mount Sinai settlements, while continuing litigation challenging federal efforts to obtain confidential patient information.

The result leaves New York at the center of a widening conflict involving federal healthcare enforcement, patient privacy, state protections, medical standards and access to gender-affirming care.

And with DOJ describing the NYU Langone and UPMC agreements as products of a nationwide investigation, the Sept. 18 settlements suggest the confrontation between the Trump administration, major healthcare institutions and LGBTQ civil-rights organizations is far from over.

Stay with JRL CHARTS LGBT Politics USA and LGBTQ New York News as we track federal actions, court challenges and healthcare developments affecting LGBTQ Americans.




Paul Goldberg
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