Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 23
Date: 9/5/2025
Title:  The enshittification of the CDC and (unrelated) all you want to know about school based health centers

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss the continued systematic dismantling of expertise and value in the CDC, a form of enshittification (a real word). Then they talk with Dr. Meg Carlson about school-based health centers.

00:00- Intro

01:30- CDC director fired after being hired a month ago and then unsuccessfully fired and unsuccessfully asked to resign.

04:25- James O'Neill has been named as new interim CDC director. The least qualified candidate in history.

05:10- Enshittificaiton and how it applies to HHS.

06:05- Indiana Department of Health gives milquetoast answer on its approach to respiratory season guidance.

07:41- RFK, Jr. cosplays as a vitriolic scientist and requests Annals of Internal Medicine retract a study that doesn't tie aluminum to vaccine injury. They say no.

11:46- State coalitions create health alliances in the face of CDC incompetence and Florida will try to eliminate school vaccine mandates.

15:16- IDH emphasizes safe sleep in response to 10 infants dying to unsafe sleep practices

17:18- Interview with Dr. Meg Carlson, Director of Health Services for Indianapolis Public Schools, about the role of School Based Health Centers in public health.

33:54- Look at the trees as they change colors, and call your Senators to request they get rid of RFK, Jr. at HHS (phone numbers and script here)

34;46- Wrap up

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 22
Date: 8/22/2025
Title:  Lived experience: an interview on the personal toll of Indiana's reproductive politics

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss Indiana public health news and then talk with Amber and Michael Dowd, who share their story of navigating a devastating fetal anomaly diagnosis under Indiana’s abortion laws. Their experience highlights the emotional toll of reproductive politics, the urgency of compassionate care, and the impact of legislation on personal healthcare decisions.

00:00- Intro

2:00- Dr. Vinay Prasad rehired a week after being forced out as the vaccine head at the FDA, highlighting the chaos in HHS

2:32- RFK, Jr. says "trusting experts is not a feature of either science or democracy"

5:04- American Academy of Pediatrics releases vaccine recommendations that are different than that of the CDC (which never happens)

6:56- Indiana abortion ban upheld by Indiana Court of Appeals

8:06- Interview with Amber (Martin) and Michael Dowd about their experience navigating Indiana's abortion ban earlier this year when they received news of a fatal fetal anomaly at 21 weeks.

38:58- Little things/Good vibes (1. develop your own story, and 2. email this episode to your lawmaker!)

40:37- Wrap up

A thanks to Eli Bosslet for editing assistance on this episode.

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 21
Date: 8/8/2025
Title:  Climate change and public health, and some news

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss 

00:00- Intro

1:20- Tracey's state fair llama costume contest disappointment

3:28- $500 million in mRNA vaccine research cancelled and ACIP kicks out medical societies

6:48- New CDC director confirmed by the Senate

7:45- JAMA article shows 35% of OB/GYN physicians have left Idaho since its abortion ban

9:00- Indiana General Assembly interim study committees look at some public health issues

13:11- Interview with Dr. Gabriel Filippelli, executive director of the Indiana University Environmental Resilience Institute

31:48- Little things/Good vibes- Green energy options at the big Indiana utilities

1. AES- green power option
2. Duke energy- GoGreen Indiana
3. Indiana Michigan Power- GoGreen
4. NIPSCO- green power
5. Centerpoint Energy- Green Energy Rider

Get a purple air!

33:53- Wrap up

A huge thanks to Elijah Bosslet for his editing expertise in this episode.

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 20
Date: 7/25/2025
Title:  A terrific interview about gun violence prevention in Indiana (and some news) 

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss the decision by HHS to abruptly cancel the Preventative Services Taskforce meeting and what it could mean for public health, a provision of the federal budget that makes Planned Parenthood no longer a healthcare resource for anyone on Medicaid, and a sketchy committee discussing SSRIs in pregnancy. Then Tracey and Gabe interview Dr. Lauren Magee, a gun safety researcher from IU School of Medicine about gun violence in Indiana. 

00:00- Intro

00:55- Tracey spoke on Capitol Hill in DC

2:10- USPSTF meeting cancelled- not good

4:15- Federal budget bans Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood for any services (abortion has not been paid for by Medicaid for decades)

6:12- HHS Meeting about SSRIs in pregnancy held by very sketchy SSRI skeptics

7:37- Interview with Dr. Lauren Magee on gun violence and public health in Indiana

25:32- Little things/Good Vibes (Happy Gilmore 2 comes out this weekend)

28:34- Wrap up

Elijah Bosslet provided exhaustive editing assistance on this episode (seriously, this one was a very heavy lift due to technical issues with our recording software)

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 19
Date: 7/11/2025
Title:  ACIP jumps the thimerosal shark, The Big Beautiful Bill really isn't, and we answer your questions

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss the decision by the ACIP to remove thimerosal from vaccine formulations in the US, which will have little effect on vaccines here but underscore their escape from scientific decision-making. They also discuss the Indiana-specific effects of the Big Beautiful Bill on Medicaid and SNAP. It is not good. And a bunch of random questions about stuff.

00:00- Intro

02:15- BMV rule to disallow gender changes on state IDs- YOU CAN SUBMIT COMMENTS HERE

4:05- Indiana Department of Health abortion ban enforcement report doesn't do that much (full report at the bottom of this article)

4:53- ACIP bans thimerosal from vaccines, establishing firmly that they are more interested in making decisions based on vibes rather than science

7:26- AAP and other medical societies sue HHS over COVID-19 vaccine guidance 

8:06- another measles case (Putnam County) and convincing folks about vaccines

10:06- The BBB will make SNAP benefits much more expensive for Indiana and will likely cut about 12% of recipients

14:22- Medicaid changes in the big Beautiful bill will cut 127,000 Hoosiers from Medicaid and will jeopardize up to 12 rural hospitals in Indiana

20:08- How does medical debt show up in medical practice?

21:48- Why do states not embrace gun safety laws given the fact that it reduces death? (

24:18- Climate change and public health- we talk about Purple Air monitors among other things

28:19- Little things/good vibes

28:55- Wrap up

Thanks to Elijah Bosslet for editing assistance on this episode

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 18
Date: 6/27/2025
Title:  ACIP shakeup, SCOTUS on trans care, and deconstructing the bogus mifepristone report

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss the new members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and find many of them to be sus. They discuss SCOTUS's ruling on the Tennessee gender affirming care ban and they highlight the fact that opioid deaths are down 24% over the past year. And they interview Daniel Grossman MD, about the (bogus) recent mifepristone report that has provided cover for RFK, Jr. to review mifepristone.

00:00- Intro

1:58- submit questions for the next episode! Email us at [email protected]

2:55- A breakdown of the members of the new ACIP committee (mostly sus)

8:15- SCOTUS uphold the Tennessee gender affirming care ban stand (not good)

9:25- LGBTQ youth specialization hotline discontinued by the federal government

10:38- Opioid deaths way down- see the CDC state-by-state dashboard

12:12- Interview with Dr. Daniel Grossman on the recent mifepristone report that has provided cover for RFK, Jr. to review mifepristone.

28:28- Little things or good vibes (call your Senators about the budget)

29:38- Wrap-up

Elijah Bosslet provided editorial assistance on this week's episode

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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

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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

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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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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

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