Hoosier Health Matters
Season 2, Episode 1

Date: 1/9/2026
Title: Indiana opts out of Sunbucks again, the vertical flu graph, and a fast-moving legislative session

00:00- Intro

1:08- Indiana opting out of SunBucks program, because they can't afford the $5 million to bring in $70 million to feed hungry children during the summer despite a newly announced $5 billion surplus

3:02- There is a lot of influenza in Indiana right now. If you aren't vaccinated yet, get vaccinated now.

5:06- HHS changes vaccine schedule recommendations to mirror Denmark. Which is like going offroading in a Porsche. Which is stupid. Follow the AAP vaccine schedule.

8:47- Overview of the bills filed thus far for the 2026 session

10:50- Check out the Good Trouble Bill Tracker

11:33- Bills heard this week: SB 91 (Tracey's favorite bill) extends Indiana needle exchange program (GTC supports, passed out of committee), SB 90 clarifies consent around sensitive exams for medical procedures (GTC supports, passed out of committee), SB 51 requires a postpartum visit be scheduled prior to discharge for medicaid patients (GTC supports, no vote taken), SB 139 provides jury duty exemption for breastfeeding women (GTC supports, passed out of committee)

14:07- Tracey's least favorite bill- SB 1 enshrines the ban on soda and candy for SNAP beneficiaries

15:21- Gabe's favorite bill- HB 1014 requires training in order to do ultrasound (which is a problem for crisis pregnancy centers). Gabe's least favorite bill- SB 174- outlaws employers to require vaccines or masks (including hospitals) and would disallow fluoride in water systems (dumb).

20:08- Look for GTC weekly emails with statehouse updates and share with a friend; also share the GTC bill tracker with those you care about

20:55- Wrap up

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 31
Date: 12/19/2025
Title: A legislative prep episode featuring a tenderloin

00:00- Intro

2:00- Indiana eschewed a redistricting push, 31-19

3:55- Indiana appellate court denies injunction in TPR case (this is good news)- and you can see the IDH's aggregate terminated pregnancy reports here

5:27- ACIP removes the recommendation for Hepatitis B vaccines at birth- a recommendation based more on vibes than science- good info here

7:23- ACA subsidy kerfuffle continues and unlikely to be resolved by Jan 1- one of the issues with this subsidy is a battle over enforcement of the Hyde Amendment

9:23- Sugary drinks no longer able to be purchased with SNAP benefits in Indiana

10:06- 2026 legislative session boot camp, featuring a bill about tenderloin sandwiches

subtitle:

How a bill becomes a law in Indiana

Find all of the bills currently filed here

25:31- Little things to do this week (mostly good vibes this week)

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 30
Date: 12/5/2025
Title: Taxing cigarettes reduces smoking (who knew?) and an interview about a direct cash assistance program for pregnant women

00:00- Intro

1:21- The redistricting saga continues (and will be resolved by our next episode)

3:48- New tobacco tax has reduced tobacco consumption and increased tobacco tax revenue

5:24- Strain of H3N2 influenza has drifted and may be more infectious this season- check out the Indiana influenza dashboard (which is awesome)

7:00- CDC now officially says we can't say vaccines don't cause autism (which is just dumb)

8:40- The new principal deputy director of the CDC is a quack

10:06- A memo in the FDA suggests 10 kids have died of COVID vaccine without providing any details or evidence or anything

11:35- An interview with Ben Tapper about the BIRTH fund program, which is giving direct cash assistance to hundreds of pregnant women in central Indiana

37:49- Little things- donate to good orgs (and email goodtrouble@goodtroubleindiana.org if you donate to GTC in someone's name and want a card to give them) and CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS about redistricting

'39:09- Wrap up

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 29
Date: 11/14/2025
Title: Indiana Freezes Childcare Vouchers, Legislators Target Mifepristone, and Why Syringe Exchange Matters

00:00- Intro

2:15- we will not have an episode the week of Thanksgiving- will drop the week after (December 5)

2:28- Special Session to start November 18, end before December 12 and it will be a part of the 2026 session

5:09- Indiana freezing childcare vouchers until 2027- leaving 31,000 families on a wait list

7:15- Letter to the White House from 55 Indiana legislators calling on a review of the safety of mifepristone is ideological hand-waving dressed up as a scientific question

11:00- The federal shutdown furloughed 50 Indiana Department of Health workers

12:25- SNAP legal drama was dramatic

16:13- Interview with Alan Wichey, CEO of Damien Center, and Dr. Shane Avery, a physician from Scott County who was involved in the 2015 HIV outbreak- we talk to them about syringe exchange programs (you can get more info and help pass the law to allow Indiana to continue syringe exchange programs at www.protectsep.org)

39:58- Little things- look at the Mifepristone letter and if your senator or rep signed it, call them and let them know your thoughts. And call your state senator and representative and let them know your thoughts on the re-gerrymander attempt.

40:44- Wrap up

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 28
Date: 10/31/2025
Title: Indiana’s Medical Debt Shrug, SNAP Shutdown, and all you could want to know about FQHCs

00:00- Intro

3:05- They are going to try and re-gerrymander Indiana. Which is good for no one

4:50- The interim study committee on medical debt in Indiana released a report that said it was issuing no recommendations, despite the fact that 20% of Hoosiers have been reported to collections for medical debt

7:06- The first flu death was confirmed in Indiana this week. Get your flu vaccine. And check out the Indiana Influenza dashboard- it is cool

8:10- The federal shutdown continues; and SNAP funding has been cut off as of today. This is a huge deal

9:45- The New England Journal and CIDRAP is going to publish an alternative to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, because it is now unreliable

11:20- Interview with Staci Walters about what federally qualified health centers are and why they are an important aspect of public health in Indiana

23:38- Little things- call your legislator to oppose re-gerrymandering

24:30- Wrap up

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 27
Date: 10/17/2025
Title: Why we stay in Indiana and why the government shutdown over public health is important

00:00- Intro

1:37- CDC director uses his best vibes to call for the separation of the MMR vaccine into three separate shots

2:19- CDC ACIP recommendations adopted, and they quietly walked back the "only risk factors under 60" recommendation to recommend it with shared decision-making

3:13- New study shows that, even in the last winter season, COVID vaccination was massively protective against hospitalizations and death

4:15- CDC lays off 1400 employees, immediately rehires half, administrative malfeasance continues

5:50- 6 former surgeons general call for the resignation of RFK, Jr. A big deal.

6:52- The federal shutdown is about public health and pulling back the ACA subsidies is bad for all Americans

9:36- Gabe and Tracey talk to Dr. Veronica Santana-Ufret about why they stay in Indiana. Gabe mentions the book Hoosiers: A new history of Indiana (and this link is to a local bookstore!)

29:50- Call your legislators to oppose redistricting, fill out this form, and we will send you Good Trouble swag

31:00- Wrap up

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 26
Date: 10/3/2025
Title: Tylenol, Leucovorin, and Mifepristone—When “Science” Serves Politics, Not Patients

00:00- Intro

02:00- A school board north of Fort Wayne removes 6 books from the shelves, based on a gross misinterpretation of a sex ed law passed last year (SEA 442)

04:36- USDA no longer publishing gold standard food insecurity reports- we debunk the reasons why with the help of Katelyn Jenelina's Your Local Epidemiologist blog (a good one!)

08:24- Mifepristone safety being studied by FDA despite TONS of data that it is VERY safe- this will lead nowhere good (scientific malpractice episode 1)

10:57- HHS announces the "cause" and a "cure" for autism- and a discussion of correlation v causation, which is not that difficult to understand but apparently many don't understand it

14:45- Correlation v causation- Red wine causes you to live longer- oh wait, no it doesn't (it's just correlated with a longer life)

21:50- reaction to the press conference swift [AAP, SMFM, ACOG, SDP (which has a terrific public facing statement on this issue)]

22:20- Leucovorin as a treatment for autism and the peril of using small trials to make large claims (using vitamin C in septic shock as an example)

27:11- One little thing today- Tracey calls the Speaker of the House (and a script and phone numbers here for you to call)

29:17- Wrap up

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Hoosier Health Matters
Season 1, Episode 25
Date: 9/19/2025
Title: Is gerrymandering a public health issue? (hint: yes) and a family facing cuts to medicaid waivers

In this episode of Hoosier Health Matters, hosts Gabriel Bosslet and Tracey Wilkinson discuss continued chaos at the CDC (evergreen topic). They then talk about the partisan effort to gerrymander and why it is a public health issue. They then interview Debby Holcombe, the mother of Michael who is on a home ventilator, about the medicaid waiver system, how it has helped her family and her son, and proposed changes that put that help in peril.

00:00- Intro

01:18- The state of Indiana has cut low income childcare voucher reimbursement rates, and many child care centers are closing as a result

03:48- ACIP madness continues, as the committee meets (today!) and is voting on a lot of vaccines stuff, including COVID; but health insurers have said they are going to ignore what they say

07:00- IDSA, ACP, and AAFP have called for RKF, Jr's removal as HHS secretary

09:14- A primer on redistricting in the shadow of a threatened (likely unconstitutional) mid-decade gerrymander; is it a public health issue? Gabe and Tracey say yes

14:29- Attendant care services medicaid waiver program and how it affects one family- an interview with Debby Holcombe and about her experience with the medicaid waiver program and proposed changes that threaten families with disabled members

34:16- Little things- contact your state senator and representative, and State Senate majority leader Rod Bray and House Speaker Todd Huston and give them thoughts on the threatened gerrymander

35:23- Wrap up

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