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01:16- The Trump Administration has rescinded a guidance regarding how EMTALA works for pregnant women who need an emergency abortion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!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram

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!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram

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!

Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram

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!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram

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

Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram

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)

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!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram

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!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram

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.

Thanks for listening!
Follow us on Bluesky and Instagram