Wolves in White Coats

A commissioned HHS report examining insurance coding practices, perverse financial incentives, and the provision of sex-rejecting procedures for minors. HHS draws on CMS guidance, Department of Justice investigations, peer-reviewed literature, hospital records, whistleblower testimony, nationwide insurance claims analyses, and interviews with patients and parents.

• HHS reports that more than 225 hospitals and health systems established pediatric gender programs nationwide.
• Nationwide claims data from 2015 through 2025 identified approximately $50 million in insurance claims for puberty blockers billed using endocrine disorder diagnostic code E34.9 (Endocrine Disorder, Unspecified).
• The report further identifies nearly $11 million in claims for patients ages 13–17 billed using a diagnosis code for precocious puberty E301 — findings HHS says warrant additional review of insurance coding practices.
• Vice President JD Vance, as Chairman of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, and Secretary Kennedy referred hospitals and clinics identified by the report to the Department of Justice and the HHS Office of Inspector General, respectively, for possible violations of federal law.
• The report recommends that federal and state agencies review coding and billing practices and strengthen oversight of claims submitted to public health programs. Referral is not a finding of guilt.