This is the WFHB Local News for Thursday, September 26th, 2024.

Later in the program, we have Prescription for Healthcare – a podcast collaboration between WFHB and Medicare for All Indiana. More in the bottom half of our program.

Also coming up in the next half hour, the Bloomington City Council heard several appropriation ordinances on the 2025 city budget during last night’s meeting.

More coming up in your daily headlines:

Bloomington City Council Committee of the Whole

The Bloomington City Council met on September 25th. Council members heard an ordinance regarding appropriations and tax rates for the Bloomington Transportation Corporation for 2025. General Manager for Bloomington Transit John Connell urged the council to pass the ordinance.

Council Member Matt Flaherty questioned how Bloomington Transit plans on improving bus stops in the city. Connell discussed B-T’s strategies for more accessible bus stops over the next several years.

Then, Council Member Dave Rollo inquired whether Bloomington Transit would expand bus services to a new potential county jail site. Connell says that they’ve been in touch with Monroe County officials regarding transportation for the possible new location for the jail.

Local resident Joe Davis offered public comment advocating for a more centralized jail location which he believes would mitigate transportation issues for the new jail initiative.

Council Member Rollo echoed the concerns Davis brought up and encouraged the council to work with the county to advocate for a more central location for the jail. The council recommended the adoption of the ordinance by a 9-0 vote.

Next, the council heard an ordinance for appropriations and tax rates establishing the 2025 civil city budget for the City of Bloomington. City Controller Jessica McClellan walked through amendments made to the budget.

The council voted 8-0-1 to recommend approval of the appropriations ordinance with Council Member Dave Rollo abstaining from the vote. The next Bloomington City Council meeting will take place on October 1st.

Feature Report:

In today’s feature report, we have Prescription for Healthcare – a podcast collaboration between WFHB and Medicare for All Indiana. This month, hosts Dr. Rob Stone and Karen Green Stone interviewed Danielle Bargo, native Hoosier, health economist, and a doctoral student in health policy at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Bargo published an article last year in the Indianapolis Capital Chronicle, “Why do Indiana hospitals charge more in poorer communities?” Using Indiana University Health as an example she discusses the issues around how hospitals set their prices in Indiana, and we discuss the example of Maryland where a commission sets hospital prices uniformly throughout the state.

We turn now to Prescription for Healthcare on the WFHB Local News.

Credits: