Hoosier Health Matters

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Latest Episodes:

When Protections Vanish: EMTALA, ACIP, and Indiana’s Hunger Crisis Jun 13, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 17
Date: 6/13/2025
Title: When Protections Vanish: EMTALA, ACIP, and Indiana’s Hunger Crisis

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including a discussion of the rescinding of a guidance about EMTALA in pregnancy (we will explain this- it is a big deal), RFK, Jr's move to fire all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and then we interview Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana's Hungry, about the state of food insecurity in Indiana.

00:00- Intro

01:16- The Trump Administration has rescinded a guidance regarding how EMTALA works for pregnant women who need an emergency abortion

10:21- RFK, Jr. has fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and will likely replace them with cranks and grifters

12:59- The Bethesda Declaration, an open letter by academics and scientists pushes back against the NIH

14:20- Interview with Emily Weikert Bryant, Executive Director of Feeding Indiana's Hungry, about food insecurity in Indiana

30:46- Little things- Call Senator Banks and Senator Young to urge them not to cut SNAP benefits- you can find their numbers and a script here

32:35- Wrap -up

Thanks for listening!
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The federal budget, vaccine policy process woes, and judicial cases that will affect us all May 30, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 16
Date: 5/30/2025
Title: The federal budget, vaccine policy process woes, and judicial cases that will affect us all

**Editorial note: Gabe's audio this week is wonky because he had to tape in a room that apparently had demons in it that could only be heard by the microphone**

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including a brain dead woman in Georgia who is forced to continue a pregnancy, they highlight what the Federal budget passed by the House of Representatives may mean for Indiana, and process changes to decision making at the FDA and CDC that undermine the credibility of national vaccine policy. They then take a deep dive with Good Trouble board member and lawyer Jane Hartsock on two cases being heard that will have major impacts for health policy in Indiana.

00:00- Intro

1:25- Georgia case of a brain dead woman forced to continue a pregnancy against her family's will; the statute that requires this exists also in Indiana law (see this interactive map outlining state laws regarding pregnancy and advance directives)

3:20- the POST form in Indiana and pregancy

6:27- The federal budget cuts medicaid dramatically and what it will mean for Indiana (it is not good)

9:17- ban on medicaid/affordable care act plans from paying for gender-affirming transition care even for adults

10:28- Major changes to COVID-19 vaccine policy (NEJM announcement, HHS announcement)

16:30- New MAHA report released; more of the same as we have discussed

17:55- Interview with Jane Hartsock about health policy legal cases

20:05- U.S. v. Skrmetti

24:38- The Religious Freedom Restoration Act challenge to the Indiana abortion ban

29:40- little things/good news

31:34- Wrap up

Join us at the Good Trouble Annual Meeting (zoom) on June 23, 2025 730-830 pm EST

Elijah Bosslet provided editorial assistance on this week's episode

Thanks for listening!
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What is MAHA all about anyway? And what the heck do lobbyists do? May 16, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 15
Date: 5/16/2025
Title: What is MAHA all about anyway? And what the heck do lobbyists do?

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including Measles in Indiana (flat, thank goodness), shenanigans related to a lawsuit and FDA investigation into the safety of mifepristone, and the shameful fact that Indiana has pulled out of the SUN Bucks program. They then discuss the nomination of Casey Means as surgeon general, someone who is not a practicing or board-certified physician- they use this to discuss the goals of the Make America Healthy Again movement. They then interview Amy Levander, Good Trouble lobbyist, to talk about what a lobbyist does and get her thoughts on the 2025 legislative session.

00:00- Intro

1:45- Measles is flat

1:55- Mifepristone shenanigans- the Trump admin wanted to throw out a case, but for all the wrong reasons. And now the FDA is going to re-review Mifepristone based on junk science

4:45- Indiana opts out of the SUN Bucks program, which provides food money to low-income families

6:57- The nomination of Casey Means for Surgeon General, who never finished a residency and does not have a medical license (here is the newsletter we reference in this discussion). Here we discuss what MAHA means and how there are actually good policy ideas in the movement (but the devil is in the details of the execution).

14:42- discussion of the "Why Should I Trust You?" podcast

16:10- What does a lobbyist do? Interview with Amy Levander, lobbyist for The Good Trouble Coalition

29:32- Little things you can do this week- call your representative and urge them to not cut medicaid funding. And call Senator Young and Banks and urge them to not confirm Casey Means. You can find scripts for both phone calls here.

30:49- Wrap Up

Meet us in person at Half Liter BBQ on May 29th from 630-8 PM EST!

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Exhaling after the legislative session May 02, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 14
Date: 5/2/2025
Title: Exhaling after the legislative session

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including Measles in Indiana (flat, thank goodness), and journals get a threatening letter from a US attorney. They then talk about the end of the session: a wrap up on the bills GTC followed, a silver lining (cigarette tax), and discuss the massive budget cuts, including to public health funding (not good). Also, this will be the last weekly edition of this podcast, which will start dropping every other week (next episode 5/16/2025).

00:00- Intro

01:20- ANNOUNCEMENT- podcast moving to every other week episodes

02:58- updates- measles flat, legal challenge against HHS public health funding cuts, journals sent nutso letter from US Attorney for DC (response from lancet)

06:08- what the heck does "sine die" mean?

07:23- 30,000 foot view of the legislative session (from Good Trouble's point of view)

10:46- The terrible budget and slash and burn end to the budget bill (HEA 1001)

12:34- Massive cuts to public health in the 2025-2026 budget

17:15- The silver lining (raising the cigarette tax)

22:58- Little things to do this week including a Good Trouble meetup

24:38- Wrap up

Thanks for listening!
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SB1: The tax break likely to cost most Hoosiers more taxes Apr 25, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 13
Date: 4/25/2025
Title: SB1: The tax break likely to cost most Hoosiers more taxes

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including Measles in Indiana (flat, thank goodness), and Universities pushing back against federal overreach. They then talk about SB 442 (the sex ed bill), and use it to explain how conference committees work. They then interview Professor Michael Hicks about Senate Bill 1, which dramatically changes how local taxes work.

00:00- intro

1:14- Updates: Measles cases relatively flat, Universities push back against federal overreach, Op-ed about the effects of the NIH in Indiana

4:28- SEA 442 (sex ed bill) shenanigans teach us all about conference committees, you can watch the 13-minute meeting (but it has a good ending)

12:42- Interview with economics Professor Michael Hicks (Ball State University) about the details on SEA 1 ("property tax bill")

30:07- Little things to do this week- Call Senator Gary Byrne to let him know how important teaching consent in sex ed is! And call your Federal Senators and Representative and tell them to reinstate the funding of the NIH Women's Health Study.

31:48- Wrap up

Elijah Bosslet provided editorial assistance on this week's episode

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The not-so-great plan to Make Indiana Healthy Again Apr 18, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 12
Date: 4/18/2025
Title: The not-so-great plan to Make Indiana Healthy Again

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including a brief discussion of how fluoride at reasonable doses in the water is beneficial, an update on bills in the legislature, and a breakdown of the nine Executive Orders in Governor Braun's "Make Indiana Healthy Again" initiative revealing that they are designed more to cut people off of SNAP benefits than actually make anyone more healthy.

00:00- intro

1:00- Apply to be a Good Trouble Coalition Board Member

1:35- Fluoride in drinking water

3:41- Bill update- SB 96 is dead, SB 475 (physician non-competes) is in conference committee, and SB 442 (sex ed) was improved but still isn't great, and the budget bill (HB 1001) battles are ongoing, but it's not great

11:30- A breakdown of the "Make Indiana Healthy Again" initiative announced this week, and looking at how the 9 Executive Orders that make up this initiative will make Hoosiers healthier (spoiler alert: most won't)

A terrific op ed on the Make Indiana Health Again by researcher Erika Cheng, PhD

24:05- Little things to do this week

24:47- Wrap up

Elijah Bosslet provided editorial assistance on this week's episode.

Thanks for listening!
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The measles in Indiana, medicaid overhaul passes the house, and effect of HHS cuts on the Indiana Immunization Coalition (interview) Apr 11, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 11
Date: 4/11/2025
Title: The measles in Indiana, medicaid overhaul passes the house, and effect of HHS cuts on the Indiana Immunization Coalition (interview)

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including quick story updates, how to approach vaccination now that measles has been detected in Indiana (6 cases), a bad sex ed bill passes out of a house committee even worse than it went in, how it started/how it ended for SB2 (the medicaid overhaul bill) which has passed both houses; and an interview with Sara Dillard, communications director at the Indiana Immunization Coalition, which has lost a ton of funding in the HHS budget cuts.

00:00- intro

00:40- updates on past stories: lawsuit over the NIH funding cuts, the state has appealed the TPR injunction ruling, PRAMS maternal mortality data collection halted

4:40- Measles is now in Indiana, and how to know if you need to inquire about a booster (from Your Local Epidemiologist)

9:02- SB 442 (the sex ed bill) passes out of House Education committee even worse than it went in

10:35- SB 2 (medicaid overhaul) passes House- how it started/how it ended

18:00- Interview with Sara Dillard, communications director for the Indiana Immunization Coalition (IIC), talks about the effects of HHS cuts on the IIC

25:05- Little things you can do this week

26:20- wrap up

Elijah Bosslet provided production and editing support on this episode.

Thanks for listening!
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How the federal government is dismantling public health (and a couple other things) Apr 04, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 10
Date: 4/4/2025
Title: How the federal government is dismantling public health (and a couple other things)

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including major HHS job cuts resulting in a 25% reduction in the workforce, an update on bills heard this week, a discussion of Title X funding and what that means, and massive federal cuts to public health spending.

00:00- Introduction

1:35- updates- more measles, massive cuts to the HHS workforce

5:53- Update on SB 96, SB 2, SB 473, and HB 1003

8:57- Cuts to Title X family planning funding

16:30- Public Health funding cuts to CDC will affect Indiana significantly

22:40- Little things (call Brad Barrett and urge him to vote on SB 96)

24:02- Wrap up

Elijah Bosslet provided production and editing support on this episode.

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A favorable ruling in the TPR case and the role of pharmacists in public health Mar 28, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 9
Date: 3/28/2025
Title: A favorable ruling in the TPR case and the role of pharmacists in public health

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson update public health news including a lawsuit opposing the Columbia NIH grant issue and a charlatan is named by an unserious person (RKF jr) to head up a(nother) study of vaccines and autism (narrator: the science is pretty settled here). They interview Veronica Vernon, a pharmacist, about the role of pharmacists in vaccination distribution and public health.

00:00- Introduction

1:46- Updates, including a lawsuit against the Trump administration by the American Federation of Teachers and the American Association of University Professors and RFK Jr names an unserious person to head up an unneeded study of vaccines and autism

4:37- A favorable ruling the Terminated Pregnancy Reports lawsuit

10:44- Senate Bill 96 and the role of pharmacists in public health: an interview with Veronica Vernon

22:10- Little things: April 1st gatherings at the statehouse, and call your federal Senators and Representatives to give your input about the HHS vaccines study

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The evolution of medicaid reform (SB2), horse dentists, and harm reduction Mar 21, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 8
Date: 3/21/2025
Title: The evolution of medicaid reform, horse dentists, and harm reduction

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss how SB2 (medicaid reform) has changed as it has traversed the legislature. They discuss the Senate floor testimony about SCR 24 (crisis pregnancy centers), and how Senator Yoder pointed out that horse dentists are more closely regulated in Indiana than pregnancy centers. And they interview Cameron McNeely HB 1167, which decriminalizes drug test strips, about harm reduction and public health.

00:00- Introduction

1:19- updates (NIH grants cancellation, Flu shots updated but without VRBPAC input)

5:13- Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 passes, Senator Yoder points out that horse dentists are regulated more than Crisis Pregnancy Centers

9:05- Medicaid overhaul (SB2) has it's rough edges sanded down

12:57- HB 1167 allows for drug test strips and an interview with Cameron McNeely on harm reduction

22:06- 2 little things to do this week

24:31- wrap up

Audio and editing- Elijah Bosslet

HHM cover art- Janine Zee-Cheng

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Navigating Indiana's legislative website (it's easy!) and the harm of crisis pregnancy centers in Indiana Mar 14, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 7
Date: 3/14/2025
Title: Navigating Indiana's legislative website (it's easy!) and the harm of crisis pregnancy centers in Indiana

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss how to find information about bills on the Indiana General Assembly website (which is one of the best in the country) and talk about Senate Concurrent Resolution 24, which commends Crisis Pregnancy Centers. They interview Dr. Erin Johnson, a PhD postdoctoral fellow at Indiana University who studies reproductive health social movements about Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Indiana and why the risks of these centers outweigh the positive benefits.

00:00- introduction

2:08- Update on TPR case, possible government shutdown

3:10- How to use the Indiana General Assembly website

4:32- Quick discussion of HB 1148

7:14- Senate Concurrent Resolution 24 overview

9:04- Interview with Erin Johnson, PhD regarding crisis pregnancy centers

Repro health resources:

Crisis Pregnancy Center map project

IneedanA.com

Abortionfinder.org

23:03- Little things you can do this week

24:45- Wrap up

Elijah Bosslet provided production support on this episode.

Become a member of the Good Trouble Coalition (free!)
Donate to support the Good Trouble Coalition

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A good executive order, SB 289 takes medical education back 2 decades, and Maternal Mortality Review Committees Mar 07, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 6
Date: 3/7/2025
Title: A good executive order, SB 289 takes medical education back 2 decades, and Maternal Mortality Review Committees

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss give kudos to Governor Braun for an executive order that beefs up parental leave for Indiana state employees. They then talk about one of the less controversial parts of SB 289 that would nonetheless completely change the face of medical education in not good ways. And they talk to Carrie Rouse, an OB GYN and member of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee about the committee and maternal mortality in Indiana.

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Dolly Parton teaches us about budget values, abolishing the menstruation tax, and the Leeroy Jenkins approach to public health at HHS Feb 28, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 5
Date: 2/28/2025
Title: Dolly Parton teaches us about budget values, abolishing the menstruation tax, and the Leeroy Jenkins approach to public health at HHS
In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson take a halftime bird's eye view of the Indiana legislative session. They talk about how Dolly Parton has felt compelled to call out the Indiana legislature for excluding her Imagination Library from their budget and what this says about our state's values and priorities. They talk to Senator Shelli Yoder about the push to eliminate the sales tax on menstrual collection devices in Indiana. And they talk about the disaster that is the current Department of Health and Human Services as measles enters the chat.

00:00- Introduction

01:23- Halftime bird's eye view of the session

04:15- Dolly Parton teaches us all about how the budget is the most tangible manifestation of Hoosier priorities

09:34- Senator Shelli Yoder talks about the push to eliminate the menstruation tax for Hoosiers

16:25- How the new HHS secretary is taking the "Leeroy Jenkins" approach to public health and how this is really, really bad

21:57- 2 things you can do this week, including at terrific substack on how to find out how to know if you are likely immune to the measles, and the Stand Up for Science rally on March 7 from 12-2 on the South Lawn of the Statehouse

23:13- Wrap up

Become a member of the Good Trouble Coalition (free!)
Donate to support the Good Trouble Coalition

Kudos to Janine Zee-Cheng for our podcast art and to Elijah Bosslet for production and editing assistance.

Thanks for listening!
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Halftime lookback, update on TPR case, and Hoosier public health funding Feb 21, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 4
Date: 2/21/2025
Title: Halftime lookback, update on TPR case, and Hoosier public health funding
In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson look back at the first half of the legislative session with some bill updates and a discussion of the dead bills they will miss and the dead bills they are happy are dead. They also give an update on the Terminated Pregnancy Report court case (including a temporary restraining order). Then how the Governor's Public Health Commission of 2022 changed public health funding in Indiana.

Gabe's medium pieces summarizing the Governor's Public Health Commission: part 1, part 2

00:00- Introduction

01:00- Updates on bills we have discussed: SB 317 (did not pass- boo!), HB 1169 (did not pass- yay!), SB 442 (passed- boo!), SB 475 (passed- yay!)

03:00- Terminated pregnancy reports case (temporary restraining order ruling)

04:06- Bills that died that make us sad (SB 145 and HB 1251), and those that make us happy (HB 1657 and SB 286)

08:12- The basics of public health delivery in Indiana (before the Governor's public health commission)

09:58- Funding of public health before 2023 (far below the national average)

12:12- Indiana standing in typical public health outcomes

13:01- What do local health departments actually do in Indiana?

14:56- Governor's public health commission recommendations

16:27- Public health funding in 2025-2026 budget (HB 1001)

18:25- Health First Indiana County Scorecard

19:16- Life expectancy in Indiana is going down

19:57- Something you should do this week (bill page on the General Assembly website)

21:42- Summary and wrap up

Become a member of the Good Trouble Coalition (free!)
Donate to support the Good Trouble Coalition

Kudos to Janine Zee-Cheng for our podcast art and to Elijah Bosslet for production and editing assistance.

Thanks for listening!
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A contraception bill gone wrong, Indiana medicaid, and NIH funding controversy Feb 14, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 3
Date: 2/14/2025
Title: A contraception bill gone wrong, Indiana medicaid, and NIH funding controversy
In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss House Bill 1169, which was authored to improve access to contraception for low-income Hoosiers, but was amended to do very little and redefine birth control in the code to exclude, well, a lot. They also interview Drs. David Craig and Ivan Douglas Hicks to discuss Indiana medicaid and proposed changes in Senate Bill 2. They also discuss the recent funding chaos at the NIH and close with an invitation to the Reproductive Health Lobby Day at the Statehouse of February 20th.

00:00 Introduction

01:25 House Bill 1169: The Contraceptive Access Debate

07:14 Senate Bill 2: Understanding Medicaid in Indiana (Report: The economic power of Indiana's Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP): 2025)

21:13 NIH funding chaos

25:39 Small things for this week (including this short clip from Mallory McMorrow and an invitation to the Reproductive Health Lobby Day February 20)

27:27 Wrap up

Become a member of the Good Trouble Coalition (free!)
Donate to support the Good Trouble Coalition

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Three bills, a cancelled conference, and the state of science in America Feb 07, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 2
Date: 2/7/2025
Title: Three bills, a cancelled conference, and the state of science in America
In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson three health policy bills heard in the last two weeks in the Indiana legislature. One (SB 370) deals with medicaid costs for outpatient procedures (which Gabe calls the "Tracey colonoscopy bill"). Gabe talks to Senator Fady Qaddoura about SB 317, which tackles medical debt, and Tracey discusses SB 442, which requires that sex ed curricula are approved by school boards. They then decry the cancellation of the Indiana University LGBTQ+ Health Care conference, and wrap up with discussing draconian changes at the CDC. They end with a call to action for listeners.

A huge thanks to Janine Zee-Cheng for design of our podcast cover art!

00:00- Introduction

01:50- Senate Bill 370: Tracey's colonoscopy bill

05:18- Senate Bill 317: Reducing Medical Debt (with special guest Fady Qaddoura!)

09:50 -Senate Bill 442: Sex Education in Indiana

12:52 -The Cancellation of the IULGBTQ+ Healthcare Conference (read Lawdork's blog about this here)

16:07 -Concerns Over CDC pulling clinical information and data (terrific article here)

19:44- Small things you should do this week (find your legislators here)

22:33 Wrap up

Become a member of the Good Trouble Coalition (free!)
Donate to support the Good Trouble Coalition

Thanks for listening!
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Thus it begins Jan 30, 2025

Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 1
Date: 1/31/2025
Title: Thus it Begins
In this inaugural episode of Hoosier Health Matters, host Gabriel Bosslet and guest Tracey Wilkinson from the Good Trouble Coalition discuss the current Indiana legislative session, focusing on key health policy issues. They provide an overview of the legislative process, highlight significant bills such as Senate Bill 475 regarding non-compete clauses for physicians, and address the implications of recent executive orders related to terminated pregnancy reports. The conversation also touches on the challenges faced at the federal level, particularly concerning NIH communication and funding.
00:00 Introduction
01:52 How a bill becomes a law in Indiana (here is a good visual)
03:33 Details of the 2025 legislative session
06:53 The Good Trouble Bill Tracker and SB 475
12:53 Governor Braun's executive order regarding Terminated Pregnancy Reports
19:38 Federal NIH communications pause
Become a member of the Good Trouble Coalition (free!)
Donate to support the Good Trouble Coalition

Thanks for listening!
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