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Whistleblower Nurse Exposes Apparent Transgender Medicaid Fraud

Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2024
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by Andrew Shirley
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80 Comments
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A Texas nurse who previously blew the whistle on illegal transgender procedures for minors now says her hospital may be illegally using taxpayer-funded Medicaid dollars to pay for drugs and sex-change operations for transgender-identifying individuals – and the Biden administration is doing everything it can to keep the scheme quiet.

As first reported by investigative journalist Christopher Rufo for City Journal, Vanessa Sivadge, a nurse at Texas Children’s Hospital, the largest children’s hospital in the country, has noticed “discrepancies” in the paperwork of patients who identify as transgender that may indicate the hospital is billing Medicaid for their “treatments.” As Texas Children’s itself admitted in 2021, “sex change operations” are “not benefits of Texas Medicaid” and Texas law “explicitly excludes coverage of all gender affirming health services.”

Specifically, Sivadge said she noticed that two patients, both aged 16, were prescribed cross-sex hormones while being enrolled in Texas Children’s Health Plan STAR, a “no-cost Medicaid managed care plan.” According to experts interviewed by Rufo, “Based on the facts we have, the only reasonable conclusion is that Texas Children’s Hospital was using Texas Medicaid funds to pay for ‘gender-affirming care,’ contrary to Texas law.”

To justify the drug regimens, Sivadge says, “Providers… were misdiagnosing patients intentionally for the purpose of justifying puberty blockers and hormones.” One strategy was making “ludicrous” claims that healthy girls had a testosterone deficiency, or healthy boys had an estrogen deficiency.

Texas law also prohibits doctors from prescribing cross-sex hormones or surgeries for minors. In a legal opinion published last year, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton stated that providing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or gender surgeries to transgender-identifying minors would meet the standard for child abuse. Just hours after Rufo published Sivadge’s allegations, a spokesperson for Paxton confirmed that his office had launched an investigation into the matter.

Notably, this isn’t the first time Sivadge, who has worked at Texas Children’s since 2021, has made headlines for exposing illegal transgender medical procedures at the hospital.

Back in 2022, under pressure from Paxton, the hospital initially said it was shutting down its gender transition clinic, which allegedly prescribed puberty blockers to kids as young as 11, and routinely saw patients between the ages of 12 and 17. But as Rufo also reported at the time, the clinic secretly reopened “just days later.”

In 2023, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 14. That bill “prohibits procedures and prescription treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, and gender dysphoria” for minors. Before the law went into effect on September 1 of that year, the Texas Children’s Hospital again announced it would no longer provide sex change operations or drugs to patients under 18.

But Eithan Haim, a surgeon at Texas Children’s, revealed that the hospital “secretly continued to perform transgender medical interventions, including the use of implantable puberty blockers, on minor children.” Haim’s testimony inspired Sivadge to come forward and corroborate his allegations.

Sivadge has also told the New York Post that she has “observed doctors manipulating the parents of young patients into agreeing to the treatment without informing them of the long term side effects like infertility.” While many of the transgender-identifying children who came through the Texas Children’s gender transition clinic had other serious issues like suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, or autism, Sivadge says doctors pressured both patients and parents to sign off on cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and other life-altering drug regimens. She believes that some families had legitimate reason to fear the hospital would call Child Protective Services if they refused.

The Biden Department of Justice has now targeted both Haim and Sivadge for coming forward and exposing Texas Children’s illegal transgender medical interventions. Earlier this month, Haim was charged with four counts of violating HIPAA patient privacy protections – even though he revealed no personal information about any patient. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Following her initial whistleblower testimony, Sivadge also received a knock on her door from two FBI agents who she alleges explicitly threatened her. The agents reportedly told her that she was a “person of interest” and, according to Sivadge, said she was “not safe at work” and “promised they would make life difficult for me if I was trying to protect the leaker” – presumably referring to Haim.

As Rufo concludes, “Both the Department of Justice and the hospital leadership were ideologically committed to ‘transgender medicine.’ They had been embarrassed by the investigation that had exposed their actions, and they were looking for revenge.”

Despite the clear intimidation effort, however, Sivadge appears undaunted, telling Rufo that she feels compelled to expose illegal transgender procedures to stop “deeds of evil and darkness.” For the children and families threatened by the transgender medical complex, the country can only hope for more such bravery and courage within the medical community.

Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.

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Tim B
Tim B
4 months ago

Congress needs to pass a law that any and all transgender services can only happen after the age of 18 and cannot be paid for by any from of government assistance.

Max
Max
4 months ago

Corruption continues and the weaponized DOJ continues their threats. The real question is “Will the state of Texas and other states that have the same corruption, do something about it?” Many of these important court cases are being SLOWLY dragged through the system in hopes that the upcoming election will produce continuation of present inept administration that continues to destroy this nation. Will the PEOPLE rise up to save this nation?

Joe
Joe
4 months ago

My hat goes off to Dr. Haim and nurse Sivadge for their courageous actions. I also pray that they don’t fall victim to Joebama’s Department of INjustice. The Boeing whistleblowers were conveniently eliminated when the truth came out about how Boeing prioritized DIE over the safety of their planes. I don’t want the same thing to happen to these two heroes.

D G
D G
4 months ago

There is no such thing as transgender. No amount of surgery, hormone therapy or wishful thinking can successfully change anyone’s gender with existing technology. Given this state of affairs, it is plain common sense that the decision to undergo these procedures must be made only by someone who has reached adulthood. These procedures must remain elective and must never become the burden of either taxpayers or insurance companies.

Susan
Susan
4 months ago

I have never seen such corruption in an Administration in my life! This is scary!

At a place where truth rules
At a place where truth rules
4 months ago

Prosecute ALL involved, regardless of who it is, including DC, Hospital admin. ALL.

granky
granky
4 months ago

A perfect example of how the DOJ has been weaponized to support the agenda of the liberal left democrats.

Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
4 months ago

The November election cannot get here soon enough for me. THIS MADNESS MUST END! and these lawfare criminals must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law! MAGA 2024!

Philip Seth Hammersley
Philip Seth Hammersley
4 months ago

Like the abortion industry, the whole trans “medical” system is a cash cow for quack doctors with no ethics! Cutting off genitals and breasts of healthy kids to afford another mansion is reprehensible! Not surprising that senile Joe, who got his money under the table, is giving this crap full-on support!

Barbara
Barbara
4 months ago

Not to mention the fact that Texas Children’s Hospital was told to stop doing gender affirming treatments. They kept it up, got caught and were told again to stop. Now I read this. But the question I always ask myself, being a baby boomer before the plethora of vaccines injected into these tiny bodies, why were pediatric floors of hospitals minimal back then and now we have children’s hospitals all of the place? What are we doing that is making our children so sick that we need so many special hospitals dedicated to their care? A question it seems no one is asking. Too much money might be lost in answering that truthfully.

Robert Zuccaro
Robert Zuccaro
4 months ago

Based on their behavior, guess I’ll be the one to say it: DEMOCRATS LOVE PEDOPHILES. Must be what the “+++” means on the LGTBQ quotient.

Thinking
Thinking
4 months ago

When the truth is being told what does the Obiden administration do take you to court. Who is breaking the HIIPAA laws. The government. Truth in America has become a myth. The FBI will come and snuff out your truths. Everything the Obiden regime does is against the law. They have weaponized Justice and the courts. They are not governing through legislation but through the courts and weaponization of the FBI and CIA. Dismissing the police by defunding and charging them with made up crimes. Law and order is what Obiden says it is. The cruelest joke ever on this country. Truth has left this country and manipulation and lawlessness has taken over.

goldeneagle1947
goldeneagle1947
4 months ago

DOJ scum. Led a by corrupt, perverted little lawn gnome called Meritless Garland.

anna hubert
anna hubert
4 months ago

Whatever these “professionals” are doctor is not it Make money any which way if it means harming people so be it What happened to ethics ,responsibility, decency There are not there anymore and it is accepted as a new normal We became a piece of meat on an assembly line

JPop
JPop
4 months ago

It’s called gender mutilation when they do it to children in the Middle Easten Countries, and itis Gender Mutilation here in the states. Period. Gender. Period. Mutilation. Period.

Nina Overton
Nina Overton
4 months ago

Medicare unfortunately pays for transgendering! This should be stopped!

heil biden
heil biden
4 months ago

EVERYBODY THAT IS FOR TRANGENDER PROCEDURES IN MINORS SHOULD BE H**G

Nina Overton
Nina Overton
4 months ago

Medicare unfortunately pays for transgendering! This should be stopped!!!!

Dr.K
Dr.K
4 months ago

Like it or not, this is a standard of care for gender dysphoria. The big rub here is treating children. Medical advocates make clear that hormones and surgery are more effective prior to puberty. More encompassing psychological treatment and vetting protocols should be developed prior to physical alterations.
Another big problem is that schools often conceal this issue from parents. Parents ought to hold schools fiscally liable for deceiving them. The problem with that is state legislatures codify this deception into law, making law suits a non-starter. Yet, citizens continue to re-elect those politicians; another real head-scratcher.
And like it or not — as with abortion — taxpayers will get stuck with the bill.

LauraC
LauraC
4 months ago

Yeah, cuz FBI has nothing better to do with all the illegal alien terrorists pouring across the border. What a bunch of buffoons.

teresa
teresa
4 months ago

real surprise that biden the dope would do anything corrupt!! he’s a disgrace

PapaGrouch
PapaGrouch
4 months ago

Fraud from the leftist welfare collecting medicaid transgender crowd. Well now! if THAT’S not a big friggin’ surprise!!

Jeri
Jeri
4 months ago

The doctors involved in this are no better than the Nazi experimental doctoring that went on during the Holocaust. BTW: this would include nurses and ALL other medical personnel involved. They are sick, sad, sorry excuses for human beings (that includes the sick, sad, sorry parents).

Robert Chase
Robert Chase
4 months ago

Why does a whistleblower need to fear the FEDS? Clearly we have agencies in the FED out of control.

debra
debra
4 months ago

MONEY MONEY MONEY…Grants, Kick Backs, CONTRACTS….All About The MONEY!! They Only Know ONE WAY….CHEAT, LIE & STEAL Their Way Thru….This Is No Different…Always USING Someone…Again this Time, CHILDREN…Gee, So NOT A Surprise….SICK.

Robert Zuccaro
Robert Zuccaro
4 months ago

When is your procedure? Decide which sex you want to be yet?

Barb
Barb
4 months ago

This would be easy for honest government employees to find out if this is truly happening. 1: Select the insurance plan;
2: Check out who (the patient) is having a certain diagnosis code (ICD-10) assigned by the doctor/billing department (according to CMS rules/regulations, the provider of services–doctor/hospital–is ultimately responsible);
3: Check for Procedure codes being billed;
4: Run reports by Procedure or ICD-10 codes, should have patient name/s listed. Very simple, just takes a little time to verify if Hospital/Providers are being honest or not.
5: Most insurance plans will provide an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to the patient/guarantor. For Medicaid patients, they may not get these EOB’s.

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
4 months ago

Is this nationwide??

Sean Rickman
Sean Rickman
4 months ago

Fraud of all kinds is the new normal,just watch what the democ RATS do.

Sean Rickman
Sean Rickman
4 months ago

Nothing in the democ rats miniscule minds is illegal,there is just a law that they need to rebuild,and”SHAZAM”,its now a legal misfit.

Fed Up
Fed Up
4 months ago

Our government is turning into Hitler’s brown shirt recruiters. Hitler took kids open to manipulation to turn on their parents and turned them into fascists. If the parents will not allow their children to become transgenders, let the government ruin them! It is amazing how Biden and Obama listen to doctors who only push their gender bending beliefs.

Bruce
Bruce
4 months ago

Doing this to children is dispicable. These kids cant even decide what flavor of ice cream they want and these doctors are doing this. I hope Texas throws the book at them.

Robert
Robert
4 months ago

The Left has been consistently doing everything it can to get the population down to a more controllable number. Sterilizing our children is only the most horrendous part of the many things they are advocating to that end. Abortion, letting murderers free without bail, targeting Jews, putting Covid patients into Senior Nursing Homes, pushing genetic engineered vaccines for Covid that are nothing of the kind but have in their own right killed so many. The list goes on and on but their end game remains the same!

Westhus092
Westhus092
4 months ago

Which part, O helmet-wearing soup eater? The manipulation and mutilation of innocent, troubled minors or the FBI’s Gestapo-like tactics against people who you Communists consider enemies of the state?

Word of Truth
Word of Truth
4 months ago

So much criminal activity supported by the Biden Crime family.

RuthannP
RuthannP
4 months ago

The American Medical Association tells its member doctors that they cannot assist/certify an execution because doctors should “first do no harm.” The AMA does, however, support gender treatments for minors and post- birth abortion, a.k.a murder. I am a retired member of the medical profession. I have not been to see a doctor in approximately seven years and have no plans to ever see one again.

Rich
Rich
4 months ago

Any doctor or health organization that supports this garbage and participates in it should be charged with child abuse and sentenced accordingly. Think it through people, these children (and their parents) need mental help. There is blood on so many hands. There will be a reckoning one day.

Richard Schwenderman
Richard Schwenderman
4 months ago

According to my dictionary affirm is not an appropriate word for this medical malpractice. Why when the corporate media claims there are as many as 89 gender identifies there are only 2, male and female that are choice for transition?

Terry Brinker
Terry Brinker
4 months ago

Texas has laws prohibiting this but it continues. Why???

Brenda G
Brenda G
4 months ago

Minors are not legally mature enough to decide to obtain such serious life changing care.Why is this happening? Why are the parents or legal guardians not being involved in this process?There should be a whole team of professionals, psychological, medical, and other health care participating. People who are separated from the facility, family, and proponents of these surgical changes.In addition, but less important is the funding of this type of care, who pays. This care is still in a grey area- elective or necessary?

cam
cam
4 months ago

The Dems beliefs are for taxpayers to foot all types of their wonton and dangerous programs aimed at the very destruction of lives regardless. Biden has always lied about things, and they are now using his illness and squeeze on his family corrupt activities to pass all these foolish policies. Most in Congress are compromised. the few who have spines are outnumbered. This is where they want this nation to be, an unfunctional, unethical, and un-visionary based on God’s truths while selling America to those evil leaders across the world.

SCbubba
SCbubba
4 months ago

roger hh: Soros pays lousy benefits. Get a real job!

Kyle Buy you some guns,and learn how to shoot
Kyle Buy you some guns,and learn how to shoot
4 months ago

I am amqzed. Who woulkd have thought a Hospt. would do such a thing. ?? Twe4edle dee is probly clapping hius hands with that Jackss smile he always haq. And where is teedle dum. >>>

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