Politico's Pulse Check

In his second go as Surgeon General of the United States, Vivek Murthy is focused on the nation’s mental health and in particular how to help kids with this struggle. Ruth Reader talks to Murthy about his office’s guidelines for how to support youth mental health and testified before Congress on the matter.

The drumbeat of calls to enact reforms to pharmaceutical middlemen is growing louder after years of largely unsuccessful attempts by lawmakers to make sweeping changes to how the industry operates — and reform advocates hope that conditions are ripe this year for action. Megan R. Wilson talks with host Ruth Reader about the bills that have been introduced and how PBMs are fighting back.

CDC epidemiologists and environmental health scientists are in Ohio this week, helping assess the potential health risks to residents after a 150-car train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed in the small town of East Palestine earlier this month. Krista Mahr discusses her reporting about the CDC’s response with host Megan Messerly.

America’s nursing homes have been at the epicenter of the Covid pandemic since its earliest days. Today, nursing home residents remain the most vulnerable group in the country when it comes to Covid, with hundreds of people still dying each week. Krista Mahr talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about why ensuring residents and staff have the best protection out there from the unpredictable virus hasn’t been easy.

On Wednesday, expert advisers to the FDA voted 19 to 0 that the agency should approve a non-prescription version of naloxone, an opioid overdose antidote, meaning it eventually could be sold in gas stations, grocery stores and convenience shops. Katherine Ellen Foley talks with host Carmen Paun about its potential impact.

Erin Schumaker talks with host Ruth Reader about the prospect of developing next-generation non-hallucinogenic versions of drugs such as psilocybin to treat brain disorders like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction, and the regulatory barriers that researchers who want to study psychedelics are up against.

The Biden administration is proposing new rules that would require more transparency about the owners, managers and contractors at nursing homes, in part to better understand private equity's impact on the industry. Daniel Payne talks with host Ruth Reader about the proposal, which could take effect this summer.

On Monday, the Department of Health and Human Services celebrated another step in helping patients get easier access to their own health data. Ruth Reader talks with host Ben Leonard about the new pilot program.

Congress has appropriated $1.8 billion for the “cancer moonshot” Biden began in 2016, and positive reaction to Biden’s recent request for more suggests it’s eager to maintain the momentum. But cancer researchers are less unified about the moonshot than Washington policymakers. Erin Schumaker talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about Biden's cancer moonshot.

Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Josh Gerstein about a federal judge’s recent suggestion that a constitutional right to abortion could be conferred by the 13th Amendment.

Doctors and advocates are urging people to pre-order and stockpile abortion pills while they still can in the face of a looming court decision that could wipe out access to the drugs nationwide. Host Ruth Reader talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about the case.

Amid an influx of fentanyl into the state and a rise in teen overdose deaths, state lawmakers may soon require schools to keep Narcan on hand. Host Ben Leonard talks with Blake Jones about the new push in California. 

Adam Cancryn tells Ben Leonard about his exit interview with David Kessler, who reflected on nearly three years of fighting a pandemic as President Joe Biden’s chief science officer — and the political fallout. Plus, Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), co-chair of the Telehealth Caucus, on how technology can become a bigger part of health care delivery.

With public opinion turning pro-legalization, 21 states now permit cannabis use for medical reasons or for recreation. Another 16 allow medical marijuana. But policymakers overseeing legalization were flying surprisingly blind about its effect on public health. Ben Leonard talks with Megan Wilson about the recent data on health impacts and the reaction from lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

In a first-of-its-kind enforcement action, the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday said it reached agreement with GoodRx on a fine and remedies after the prescription discount site shared customers’ health data with Google, Facebook and other third parties. Ruth Reader talks with Megan Messerly about why, if the court agrees, the decision could upend the business models of online businesses that routinely use or sell data to better target users with services and advertising.

As of Wednesday, states can start reevaluating whether the millions of Americans who have remained covered by Medicaid during the pandemic are still eligible for those health insurance benefits. Megan Messerly talks with Erin Schumaker about how we got here and the approaches some states may take.

The Biden administration will end the Covid-19 national and public health emergencies on May 11. Daniel Payne talks with Ruth Reader about this major step, meant to signal that the crisis era of the pandemic is over. Plus, Katherine Ellen Foley on the four biggest takeaways from Pfizer’s  earnings call.

Megan Wilson talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about the rumors spooking health care lobbyists on K St. about incoming Senate HELP Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Ben Leonard about what we know and what we don't about the FDA’s recent decision making on the future of Covid-19 vaccines.

Amazon is launching a prescription subscription service called RxPass - which for $5 per month, allows existing Prime members to get eligible generic prescription medications. Ruth Reader talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about the service, which competes with discount drug companies like Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Company and GoodRx, as well as online prescription delivery services from bigger pharmacy brands like CVS.