EXCLUSIVE: Unearthed Data Makes Pennsylvania’s Puberty Blocker Payouts Look Even Sketchier

Megan Brock January 16, 2026 (1/3)

Pennsylvania saw a meteoric rise in the number of adolescents receiving puberty blockers through an insurance billing code currently being investigated under the Trump administration on fraud suspicions.

More than 220 claims for puberty blocking drugs were reimbursed for minors aged 10-13 with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) billing code, E30.1, for precocious puberty between Jan. 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2024, costing taxpayers more than $1.8 million, according to the data. The number of claims in the 10-13 age group went from zero in 2012 and ballooned to 47 by 2016. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has raised concerns that this billing code may have been fraudulently used by gender doctors to obtain insurance coverage for sex-rejecting interventions.

“A spike of this magnitude in the diagnosis of precocious puberty — especially among children past the usual age — is highly atypical and raises the very real possibility that the diagnosis has been used as a billing workaround,” Dr. Kurt Miceli, medical director at Do No Harm, told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“The data indicates that the Department of Justice’s concerns merit serious investigation rather than being stalled in litigation,” Miceli stated.

Central Precocious Puberty (CPP) is caused by an early activation of the pituitary gland, which stimulates the production of sex hormones, and is widely accepted as occurring before age 10. ICD codes are published by the World Health Organization and provide diagnoses for diseases and injuries.

“I would expect to see kids on puberty blockers for precocious puberty if they are age 8 and younger,” Dr. Roy Eappen, an endocrinologist and Senior Do No Harm Fellow, told the DCNF.

“I would be surprised to see girls or boys on puberty blockers for precocious puberty after age 8,” Eappen stated.

A graph based on data provided to the DCNF by the PA Department of Human Services. For years 2013, 2015, 2022 and 2023, the total number of encounters was less than 11 which is represented by the number 5 on the graph.

Dr. Quentin Van Meter, a pediatric endocrinologist and past president of the American College of Pediatricians, told the DCNF it would be “very, very rare” for a child to be diagnosed with precocious puberty at age 10.

“The kids who are started on puberty blockers at age 11 and later are not generally treated for the diagnosis of precocious puberty, but are more than likely trans kids who are purposely being mis-coded to hide this travesty,” Van Meter told the DCNF.

“[The age] would be an indication that this is not precocious puberty. You’re basically trying to block true puberty, which you shouldn’t do,” Van Meter said.

Van Meter noted the data the DCNF obtained would be more meaningful if it showed the ages a child was diagnosed with precocious puberty and started on blockers. The DCNF asked for the age affiliated with each individual reimbursement claim but was not provided that information.

https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2026/01/16/exclusive-unearthed-data-makes-pennsylvanias-puberty-blocker-payouts-look-even-sketchier/

>>24135393

(Charts in article, can’t post here)

(2/3.)

The data showed a more than 2100% increase in reimbursement for puberty blocker claims using the E30.1 code between 2013 to 2017, with yearly totals for minors under 18 rising from $34,906 in 2013 to $786,728 in 2017, according to data from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (PA DHS). There was no reimbursement for puberty blockers using this code in any age group from 2010 to 2012, according to the data.

Eappen told the DCNF it seemed “highly unusual” to see such a sudden spike in the use of a specific diagnostic code for an endocrine disorder and this scenario would be more likely seen in an infectious disease.

Graph showing annual reimbursement paid by Pennsylvania for puberty blockers for minors under 18 using the billing code for precocious puberty. Data Source: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

An additional data set was obtained by the DCNF that provided all PennsylvaniaMedical Assistance spending on the puberty blocking medications Goserelin, Histrelin, Leuprolide and Triptorelin, for minors 18 and under between Jan. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2024. The data set showed the state spent more than $76 million giving the drugs to minors 18 and under with the average cost per claim being over $11,200. It also revealed more than 1,000 puberty blocker claims for minors aged 14 to 18 and more than 1900 claims for those aged 10 to 13.

The DCNF requested the ICD codes affiliated with each encounter but was not provided that information.

Judges Block Transparency As DOJ Investigates Possible Medical Fraud(WTF?)

The DOJ is actively investigating possible billing fraud involving puberty blockers in Pennsylvania and a handful of other states, stating in an October 2025 court filing that initiating puberty blockers at age 10 and up under the diagnosis of precocious puberty raises suspicions of fraud.

More than 20 providers of child sex-rejecting procedures were subpoenaed in June 2025, including The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), as part of the DOJ’s investigation.

An analysis of insurance claims appeared to show almost 250 minors at CHOP were diagnosed with Central Precocious Puberty (CPP) at age 10 or older, including teenagers aged 14 to 18, between 2017 and 2024, an October 2025 DOJ court filing states.

“This is well beyond the age at which children are typically diagnosed with precocious puberty,” the court filing states.

Puberty blockers, which are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of precocious puberty but not for the treatment of gender dysphoria,can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

“That’s something that if insurance doesn’t cover it, almost nobody can afford,” Nadia Dowshen, co-founder and co-medical director of the CHOP Gender Clinic, stated during a 2018 National Institutes of Health lecture.

https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2026/01/16/exclusive-unearthed-data-makes-pennsylvanias-puberty-blocker-payouts-look-even-sketchier/

>>24135399

(3/3)

In July 2025, CHOP filed a motion to limit the DOJ’s subpoena claiming it violated the privacy rights of patients. The DOJ said the patient information requested in the subpoena was needed to determine if the gender clinic had used improper billing codes with fraudulent intent, in a court document.

“Linking each patient’s clinical record to corresponding billing and insurance claims can demonstrate whether diagnoses were miscoded, which can prove fraudulent intent,” stated the DOJ in a court filing.

Van Meter told the DCNF you’d expect a minor with precocious puberty to have clinical documentation of early pubertal development in their medical record.

“There is going to be some lab work that will be done and there will certainly be in the medical record evidence that the child is way ahead in terms of pubertal staging,” Van Meter told the DCNF.

In November 2025, an Obama-appointed federal judge struck downpart of the DOJ’s subpoena, writing in his memorandum opinion that providing child sex-rejection procedures aligns with Pennsylvania’s standards of medical care.

Gov. Josh Shapiro filed an amicus brieffiled in support of the CHOP gender clinic that accused the DOJ of seeking “to intimidate medical providers from offering critical, medically necessary health care.”

CHOP did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

BCH was also subpoenaed by the DOJ and had a “large spike” in “facially suspect diagnoses” of CPP in children aged 10 or older, similar to CHOP’s, from 2020 to 2023 which raised suspicion that children may have been given the diagnosis “to mislead insurance companies or others into covering puberty blockers for older children with gender dysphoria,” according to a court document submitted by the DOJ.

There is “no clear explanation for why BCH would go from diagnosing almost no 11-year-olds with CPP for the years 2017-19 to diagnosing 50 11-year-old patients with CPP in 2022,” the government argued. BCH’s motion to quash the DOJ subpoena was granted by a Biden-appointed federal judge.

The DOJ declined to provide the DCNF with a comment on its investigation.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton alleged a Texas pediatric gender doctor used a fraudulent billing code when prescribing a minor a puberty blocker in a November 2024 lawsuit. Paxton announced new evidence of fraud involving Medicaid reimbursement for sex-rejecting interventions had emerged that included “falsifying records, altering diagnosis codes, and submitting deceptive billing information,” in a December 2025 press release.

“My office has identified schemes where providers use deceptive billing codes and misdiagnoses to obscure the true nature of these despicable and legally prohibited procedures,” Paxton told the DCNF.

“I’m committed to protecting Texas children and relentlessly enforcing state law, which is why we are actively investigating fraudulent billing practices and false diagnoses used to circumvent our laws which prohibit ‘transition’ procedures on minors,” Paxton said.

https://dailycallernewsfoundation.org/2026/01/16/exclusive-unearthed-data-makes-pennsylvanias-puberty-blocker-payouts-look-even-sketchier/

And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

>>24135405

Everyone that participated in horrible creation deserves a public trial, and we all know there’s no heaven for them

For 99 Years It’s Been Illegal To Mail A Handgun, That Soon Could Change

Mark Heinz. (1/2)

Wyoming gun advocates are applauding Thursday's U.S. Dept. of Justice opinion that says a 1927 law banning the practice of mailing handguns is unconstitutional. UW law professor George Moscary says to use caution, however, as "it's a complicated area of law."

It might soon be legal for people to mail Glocks to each other. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday released an opinion that a 1927 law banning the practice is unconstitutional.

Under current policy, only licensed firearms dealers may send “concealable firearms” through the U.S. Postal Service.

In a 15-page opinion, theDOJ stated that the Postal Service should stop enforcing that law, because it runs counter to the Second Amendment.

“Accordingly, the Executive Branch may not, consistent with the Constitution, enforce section 1715 with respect to constitutionally protected firearms, andthe Postal Service should modify its regulations to conform with the scope of the Second Amendment as described in this opinion,” according to the DOJ.

Mark Jones, a national director for Gun Owners of America, told Cowboy State Daily that he applauds the DOJ’s opinion.

“Restricting access to a right is the same as denying that right. Shipping via the Postal Service, a government-run carrier, can't be restricted and be in keeping with the Constitution. This interpretation is a long time in coming,” he said.

Don’t Start Dropping Pistols In The Mail Just Yet

There are numerous regulations that apply to mailing or shipping firearms, some of which fall under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), University of Wyoming law professor George Mocsary told Cowboy State Daily.

He said that on Friday, he hadn’t yet read the DOJ’s opinion in detail, and it wasn’t clear how it might ultimately affect firearms shipping policy.

Rules for using private shipping companies for firearms, such as FedEx, might be different for those for the Postal Service, he said.

Wyomingites should be cautious about assuming that the DOJ’s ruling gives them the all-clear to start dropping packaged pistols into the mail, said Mocsary, who heads UW’s Firearms Research Center.

“It’s a very complicated area (of law). It remains to be seen exactly what is covered by this. They shouldn’t assume any particular kind of mailing is OK without doing some research,” he said.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/01/16/wyomingites-cheer-potential-reversal-of-ban-on-mailing-guns/

>>24135570

(2/2.)

Is The Law No Longer Needed?

Historical records indicate there was a debate over the constitutionality of the 1927 law before it was passed, Mocsary said.

At the time, the law might have seemed necessary because the current system of background checks for firearms purchases wasn’t in place, he said.

The sentiment at the time might have been that local firearm dealers “would at least have an idea of whether person X was a bad guy” if they came in the shop to buy a handgun, he said.

However, at the time, there was no way of knowing the possible criminal history of people receiving guns through the Postal Service, he said.

“Now we have nationals background checks that cover everybody” buying firearms from licensed dealers, Mocsary said.

So, a strict ban on sending handguns through the postal service to people who have cleared background checks might not be necessary, he said.

Complicated Process

It can be complicated to ship handguns, or buy and sell them across state lines, retired firearms dealer Scott Weber of Cody told Cowboy State Daily.

As things stand now, only dealers with Federal Firearms Licenses (FFL) can facilitate sales across state lines, he said.

So for example, if a Wyoming resident went to a gun show in Colorado or Montana and bought a handgun, it would have to be taken and packaged by a FFL dealer there and then shipped to another FFL dealer in Wyoming, he said.

That could involve up to about $150 in fees.

Likewise,private individuals, without FFLs, might have to go through FFL dealers and pay transfer feesto legally conduct the sale and transfer of a handgun, he said.

In its opinion, DOJ argues that such complications impede citizens’ gun rights.

“…a person has no ability to travel with a firearm, leaving shipment of the handgun to a destination as the only viable method of transportation. But the person cannot use a common or contract carrier to ship himself the handgun because, currently, the large common carriers that deliver parcels refuse to ship firearms for private citizens.” the DOJ stated.

“And section 1715 forbids mailing the handgun. The Postal Service’s ban on mailing handgunsthus stifles the legitimate transportation and carriage of handguns for self-defense or any other lawful purpose,” according to the DOJ.

https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/01/16/wyomingites-cheer-potential-reversal-of-ban-on-mailing-guns/

IRGC-linked media says it identified US troops’ Doha hotel, threatens attack

15 hours ago

A Telegram channel affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has threatened US forces in Qatar, claiming it has identified the hotel in Doha where commanders and officers from United States Central Command have relocated after evacuating the Al-Udeid base.

“The clumsy relocation of commanders and officers of the terrorist United States Central Command from Al-Udeid Base to the Sheraton Hotel in Doha, and the transfer of the sabotage operations room to this hotel, will in no way shield them from a decisive and forceful response by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the event of any aggression against Iranian territory,” the Sepah Pasdaran channel said, sharing a photo and caption released by a channel called “Operations Center Media”.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202601178067

EXCLUSIVE

Trump to POLITICO: ‘It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran’

Trump, after being read a series of hostile X posts from Iran’s supreme leader,said the ayatollah is guilty of “the complete destruction of his country.”

President Donald Trump on Saturday called for an end to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 37-year reign.

“It’s time to look for new leadership in Iran,” Trump told POLITICO, as widespread protests calling for an end to the regime appear to have waned.

Thousands of protesters across the country were killed over the last three weeks, prompting Trump to repeatedly threaten military intervention. On Tuesday, Trump called on Iranians to keep protesting and “take over institutions,” saying that “help is on its way.”

The next day, the president abruptly changed course, saying he had been informed that the killings had stopped.

“The best decision he ever made was not hanging more than 800 people two days ago,” Trump said Saturday, when asked about the size of a possible U.S. military operation in Iran.

Trump’s comments came shortly afterKhamenei’s X account posted a series of hostile messages aimed at Trump, accusing the U.S. president of being responsible for deadly violence and unrest in Iran.

“We find the US President guilty due to the casualties, damages and slander he inflicted upon the Iranian nation,” Khamenei wrote.

In another post, he said Trump had mischaracterized violent groups as representing the Iranian people, calling it “an appalling slander.”

Trump, after being read the posts,said Tehran’s rulers rely on repression and violence to govern. “What he is guilty of, as the leader of a country, is the complete destruction of the countryand the use of violence at levels never seen before,” Trump said. “In order to keep the country functioning — even though that function is a very low level —the leadership should focus on running his country properly, like I do with the United States, and not killing people by the thousands in order to keep control.”

“Leadership is about respect, not fear and death,” Trump added.

The exchange underscores a sharpening rhetoric between Washington and Tehran at a volatile moment for the region, and asKhamenei recently made a public address in which he claimed that “the Iranian nation has defeated America.”

Trump went further in personal terms, denouncing Khamenei and the Iranian system of governance.

“The man is a sick man who should run his country properly and stop killing people,” Trump said. “His country is the worst place to live anywhere in the world because of poor leadership.”

Iranian officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/17/trump-to-politico-its-time-to-look-for-new-leadership-in-iran-00735528

Iran leadership had gone too far.

>>24135959

Why is Trump allowing an interview with Politico, one of biggest liars about Trump and our country ever?

Although this article looked somewhat accurate. Why did he interview the NYT.

He’s not bringing down the false media, perhaps he has a long term plan with them.

PS The NYTs did a lot of negative videos about their interview, while not being to blatantly hateful in the article.

Did he already capture the TDS media?.