Staff Reports
Colorado voters are being asked to decide on Proposition 135 on November 3 — a measure that would ban surgeries on minors meant to change their biological sex and bar public and private payment for those procedures. The twist: the federal Department of Health and Human Services already issued a rule in mid‑October that stops federal Medicaid and CHIP dollars from paying for many of the same surgeries on children. So voters must decide whether the state should lock that policy in permanently, even after Washington has already acted.
What changed in Washington: the HHS/CMS rule
Earlier this month the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule that took effect on October 13. The rule says federal Medicaid and CHIP money cannot be used to pay for certain “sex‑rejecting” procedures for minors. That change is real, binding and nationwide. In plain English: federal taxpayers will no longer bankroll these surgeries for kids under the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
What Proposition 135 would add — and where it matters
State ban, state dollars and private insurance
Proposition 135 would do more than echo the federal rule. It would make Colorado law forbid doctors from performing surgeries that alter a minor’s sex characteristics as a treatment in response to the child’s perception of gender. It would also bar state funds and private insurance from paying for those surgeries. That matters because federal action can be changed by a future administration or by courts. A state constitutional amendment or statute is harder to reverse and sends a clear signal about Colorado’s policy direction.
Hospitals, data fights and real world practice
The official Colorado voter guide notes the state’s three big pediatric surgical centers — Children’s Hospital Colorado, Rocky Mountain Children’s and Denver Health — say they are not doing sex‑altering surgeries on under‑18s. Yet advocacy groups keep producing claim counts and hospitals push back, saying the numbers are wrong or based on flawed billing‑code searches. So what looks like a debate about cold facts often turns into a fight over method and motive.
Why this vote still matters to Colorado families and taxpayers
Polling shows this one could be close, with forecasts putting yes votes just over the line. That tells you this is not a settled issue in voters’ minds. Even if federal funds are already restricted, Colorado’s decision is about more than money. It’s about who makes medical choices for children, who pays for them, and whether the state will lock in rules that reflect community standards. If you want consistency and a clear policy that does not depend on which party holds the White House, a state measure like Prop 135 is a way to do that. If you think federal action alone is enough, then you can vote the other way — but don’t pretend the ballot is pointless. Democracy, inconveniently for some, still lets voters answer the question directly.
