Email sent to Senator Claire Chandler on 18 August 2026
Dear Senator Chandler,
I am writing to draw your attention to the recently released United States Department of Health and Human Services report Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of “Gender Medicine”, and to the clear parallel it highlights with Australian prescribing practices that you have previously raised in the Senate.
The HHS report has referred multiple US hospitals and clinics to the Department of Justice for possible breaches of federal law. It identifies approximately US$50 million in insurance claims for puberty blockers billed under the diagnosis “endocrine disorder, unspecified,” and nearly US$11 million billed under the diagnosis of precocious puberty for patients aged 13–17 (an age range in which that diagnosis does not apply). The report states that using these codes instead of a gender-related diagnosis violates CMS guidelines “for the simple reason that gender dysphoria is not an endocrine disorder, since it exhibits no hormonal abnormalities.” It further notes that there is reason to believe some providers systematically diagnosed minors with physical conditions they did not have in order to secure insurance coverage that might otherwise have been denied.
Bernard Lane’s recent reporting on the HHS findings explicitly notes the Australian parallel: clinicians here use the diagnosis of “androgen deficiency / testicular disorder” to access taxpayer-funded testosterone under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for teenage females who identify as male or non-binary.
You have already performed an important public service by obtaining and publicising the Department of Health data showing the scale of this practice, and by speaking in the Senate about the ethical and legal questions it raises. The new US report strengthens the case for renewed scrutiny in Australia. The same core issue is present: a diagnostic indication that does not accurately describe the clinical purpose is being used to unlock public subsidy for off-label, gender-related hormone treatment of young people.
I respectfully ask whether you would consider:
- Raising the HHS findings and the Australian parallel again in the Senate;
- Seeking updated data from the Department of Health on the number of females (particularly those under 18 and under 25) receiving PBS testosterone under the “androgen deficiency due to an established testicular disorder” indication; and
- Calling for a formal review of whether this coding practice complies with PBS rules and with the requirement that authority indications accurately reflect the clinical condition being treated.
Given your previous work on this issue, your voice carries particular weight. The combination of the US findings on potentially fraudulent coding and the continuing Australian use of the testicular-disorder indication for young females makes this a timely moment for further parliamentary attention.
Thank you for your continued advocacy on these matters. I would be grateful for any update on whether you intend to pursue this further.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Elizabeth Caballero
Retired General Practitioner
President | Women Speak Tasmania