Amanda Zurawski

Manufactured Crisis: How Trump and Republicans Broke Wisconsin’s Health Care

Over 275,000 Wisconsinites are on track to lose their health care coverage. Premiums have more than doubled overnight. Hospitals are closing. And it didn’t happen by accident. In this episode, I’m joined by Brad Woodhouse, President of Protect Our Care, and Wisconsin political strategist Joe Zepecki to break down the findings of a devastating new report: Health Care in Crisis: Trump and Republicans Are Making Health Care Unaffordable for Wisconsinites. We get into all of it — the $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, the ACA tax credits that were allowed to expire, the eight Wisconsin hospitals and clinics already closed or at risk, the 60-year-old couple now spending nearly 37% of their income on health insurance, and the pharmaceutical companies that defied the president’s own requests and raised prices anyway — while posting $177 billion in profits. This is what a manufactured crisis looks like. And these are the people responsible for it. In this episode: Who is losing coverage and why What the Medicaid cuts actually mean for Wisconsin families, kids, and rural communities Why hospitals are closing — and what happens when they do How Big Pharma is cashing in while seniors pay more What accountability looks like from here Read the full report: https://defendamericaaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/DAA-WI-Health-Care-Affordability-Report-June-2026.pdf Follow Protect Our Care: www.protectourcare.org Substack: @protectourcare Instagram: @protect.our.care Threads: @protect.our.care TikTok: @protectourcare YouTube: @protectourcare Facebook: @protectourcare Twitter/X: @protectourcare LinkedIn:@protectourcare Follow Dr. Kristin Lyerly: Substack: @drkristinlyerly Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters. Producer: Abraham Lyerly Music: Nic Tierman Graphics: Nathaniel Gonzalez

Fran Hong: Bold, Unapologetic, and Ready to Fix Healthcare

In this episode of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show, I sit down with Wisconsin State Representative and gubernatorial candidate Fran Hong to dig into the healthcare vision she’s running on — and why it’s unlike anything else in the field. We talk about her path to Medicare for All, her plan to take on hospital pricing and insurance claim denials, what reproductive healthcare access really looks like under a Hong administration, and why she believes maternal health is about so much more than pregnancy. Fran is bold, she’s specific, and she is not playing it safe. Connect with Francesca Hong: Website: francescahong.com Instagram: @francescahongwi X/Twitter: @FrancescaHongWI Threads: @francescahongwi Facebook: @FrancescaHongWI TikTok: @francescahong BlueSky: @francescahongwi.bsky.social Follow Dr. Lyerly nearly everywhere! YouTube: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Substack: @drkristinlyerly Twitter: @kristinforWI BlueSky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social LinkedIn: @drkristinlyerly Reddit: @drkristinlyerly Credits: Producer: Abraham Lyerly Music: Nic Tierman Graphic Design: Nathaniel Gonzalez

She Withdrew From the Race — Then Won Anyway: Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford

What does it take to step back from a race — and still win it? Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford did exactly that when Madison voters elected her to the Common Council even after she suspended her campaign. Turns out, the people of Madison had other plans. In this episode of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show, Dr. Lyerly sits down with the first transgender woman elected to the Madison Common Council — and quite possibly the only elected official in Wisconsin who’s also a stand-up comedian. Dina Nina has been a traveling evangelical pastor, a small business owner, a housing justice advocate, and the founder of Lady Laughs Comedy. She brings all of it to this conversation, and it shows. We talk about the wild election nobody saw coming, what it actually feels like to govern from lived experience, and why she thinks trans leadership isn’t just historic — it’s exactly what Wisconsin needs right now. It’s honest, it’s a little funny, and it does not pull punches. In this episode: The election she withdrew from — and still won From the pulpit to the punchline: her unlikely path to public office Why lived experience will be her superpower in the legislature Her vision for housing, fair maps, and a blue Wisconsin New episodes of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show drop on YouTube every week — subscribe and come hang with us. Follow Dina Nina www.votedinanina.com Instagram | @votedinanina Facebook | @votedinanina BlueSky | votedinanina.bsky.social Subscribe to my Substack: drkristinlyerly.substack.com Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters.

Fake Clinics, Real Harm: The Deception of Crisis Pregnancy Centers with Catholics for Choice

Did you know that crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics in the United States by a ratio of roughly 3 to 1 — and that most of them are under no obligation to tell you they aren’t licensed medical providers? In this episode of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show, I sit down with Kate Hoeting, Director of Education & Research at Catholics for Choice, to pull back the curtain on the crisis pregnancy center industry: how these centers pose as medical clinics, why vulnerable patients often don’t know the difference, and what the absence of HIPAA protections and informed consent requirements means for real people seeking care. We also dig into something that might surprise you: what Catholics for Choice actually stands for, why a majority of Catholics support reproductive freedom despite official Church teaching, and how faith can be a source of liberation rather than shame. I’ll be honest — I was raised Catholic myself. This conversation hit close to home. If you care about patient safety, reproductive freedom, or the role of faith in public life, this episode is for you. New episodes every Wednesday at noon. Follow Catholics for Choice catholicsforchoice.org/CPC Instagram: Catholic4choice Facebook: CatholicsForChoice Twitter: Catholic4Choice LinkedIn: catholics-for-choice Subscribe to my Substack: drkristinlyerly.substack.com Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters.

Grassroots vs. the Party Machine

Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District is one of the most competitive – and consequential – congressional seats in the country. The DNC already has a favorite. Emily Berge is running anyway. In this episode of The Dr. Kristin Lyerly Show, I sit down with Emily Berge, former Eau Claire City Council President and grassroots candidate for Congress in WI-03. We talk about what it takes to run without the party machine behind you, why governing experience matters more than fundraising totals, and what she sees in this district that Washington keeps missing. This is a conversation about democracy, representation, and who really gets to decide who serves in Congress. Subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping Wisconsin’s future. Emily Berge’s socials: Website: www.bergeforcongress.com Instagram: bergeforcongress Facebook: bergeforcongress Twitter/X: Berge4Congress BlueSky: bergeforcongress.com Credits: Producer: Abraham Lyerly Music: Nic Tierman Subscribe for more conversations about the people and ideas shaping our world and follow, like, share on other platforms, too! Substack: drkristinlyerly.substack.com Instagram: @drkristinlyerly Threads: @drkristinlyerly TikTok: @drkristinlyerly Bluesky: @drkristin4wi.bsky.social Facebook: @drkristinlyerly Twitter/X: @drkristinlyerly LinkedIn:@drkristinlyerly Dr. Kristin Lyerly is an OB-GYN based in northeast Wisconsin and a leading voice on healthcare, politics, and the issues shaping our collective future. As the named physician plaintiff in a landmark Wisconsin abortion decision, she brings a perspective to these conversations that goes beyond politics. New episodes drop every week. Subscribe to stay current on reproductive rights, health politics, all things Wisconsin, and everything else that matters.