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A federal judge has temporarily halted enforcement of new rules from the Biden administration that would prevent discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana issued a temporary injunction Thursday that blocks updated Title IX policy from taking effect Aug. 1 in Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi and Montana. In April, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would expand Title IX to protect LGBTQ+ students, and the four aforementioned states challenged the policy in federal court. (Larose, 6/13)

Enrollment in Florida’s Medicaid program continued to drop in May, with 4.423 million people receiving health care through the system, according to newly posted data on the state Agency for Health Care Administration website. (6/14)

This year’s legislative session flew under the banner of “Live Healthy," the name given to four prioritized initiatives to help grow Florida’s health care workforce, increase access and incentivize innovation. So, it’s no surprise that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ $116.5 billion budget for fiscal 2024-25, signed Wednesday in Tampa, weighed heavily in that direction. (Mayer, 6/13)

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s growing discomfort with a proposed ballot initiative sponsored by leading health care groups is spilling out into the public amid tense discussions over the November ballot and state budget. Jim DeBoo, a top consultant in Sacramento and a former chief of staff to Newsom, confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday that he’s stepped away from his leadership role on the campaign to use a tax on some health insurance to fund improvements in Medi-Cal. (Cadelago and Bluth, 6/13)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: California Lawmakers Preserve Aid To Older, Disabled Immigrants

California lawmakers on Thursday passed a 2024-25 budget that rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to cut in-home supportive services for low-income older, blind, and disabled immigrants lacking legal residency. However, the Democratic governor has not said whether he’ll use his line-item veto authority to help close the state’s $45 billion deficit. (Sánchez, 6/14)