Joint Finance approves $3 billion for Health Services, ban on payments for puberty blockers, gender reassignment

The Joint Finance Committee early this morning approved boosting spending by the Department of Health Services by $3.1 billion in state and federal money over the next two years.
The committee’s DHS motion also waded into the cultural wars with a provision that would bar -- to the extent allowed under federal law -- payments through Medical Assistance for puberty-blocking drugs used for gender dys...