Rick Mayer
Health News FloridaI’m the online producer for Health News Florida, a collaboration of public radio stations and NPR that delivers news about health care issues.
This is an important position at WUSF. In 2019, the typical U.S. family spent about 11 percent of its annual income on health care, so it stands to reason issues of cost, quality, access and innovation are consequential to all Floridians. Then COVID-19 came along, and the weight of these matters gained exponentially. I take our reporting on these topics quite seriously, as I’m sure you do, too.
Literally growing up in newsrooms and a little serendipity along the way prepared me well for the post. Here’s the abridged version: I’m a Tampa guy, graduating from H.B. Plant High and thrust into the world with my USF degree rolled tightly in hand. From there, it was three mostly sleepless decades as an editor at The Tampa Tribune, then developing and managing an online journal serving physician executives. There’s also my side job editing a statewide health magazine.
And being married to a longtime hospital nurse/case manager helps; dinner conversation often gives me a feel of what’s happening on the front lines. The good and not-so-good.
Of course, my time isn’t always spent flailing in the health news vortex. You’re actually more likely to find me breaking down the Bucs, Bulls or Bolts after a game, taking Oodle the poodle to the dog park or tinkering the backroom piano while vicariously reliving my former life as a musician. (Remember, kids: Parents of percussionists have plenty of patience. Plenty!)
Contact Rick on Twitter @rmayer2361 or by email at Mayer1@wusf.org.
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Commissioner Mark Bogen's decision comes after an audit found the Broward Heart Project, to which the county already allocated $10 million, spends more on administrative costs than testing. -
The poll of 1,000 Florida registered voters shows 32% are unsure. The proposal requires 60% of the vote to pass. Also, a majority said a six-week abortion ban that takes effect May 1 is "too strict." -
Lawmakers unanimously passed the skin-cancer screening bill after limiting it to state employees. The governor also signed a bill that designates April as “Hot Car Death Prevention Month.” -
State officials say there is no outbreak in the region. The cases were made public days after the Florida Department of Health reported its 10th case since mid-February. -
Many hospitals are shuttering their obstetrics units because insurance and Medicaid aren't reimbursing enough to cover the cost of births, the report notes. -
The highly contagious disease was reported by someone 20 to 24 years old in Polk. It's unknown if it's connected to a school outbreak in Broward, where a case involving a child under 5 was confirmed. -
The House Health Care Appropriations subcommittee unanimously advanced the measure, and it next goes to the Health and Human Services Committee before a floor vote. -
The Biden administration is requiring states give CHIP beneficiaries 12 months of continuous coverage, even if families don't pay monthly premiums. State lawyers say premiums are needed for expansion of coverage signed into law last year. -
A record 21.3 million people signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act federal marketplace during the 2024 open enrollment period, according to a final tally announced by CMS. -
The Red Cross says donations are at a 20-year low and hospitals are demanding blood products faster than the organization can replenish supplies.