Politico's Pulse Check

Grace Scullion talks with Lauren Gardner about the newest Covid funding request from President Biden, intense lobbying efforts on possible health care legislation, and a push by some key doctor and hospital groups asking for a public health emergency declaration for RSV.

Politicians on both sides of the aisle agree that more safeguards are needed to protect Americans’ health data. The urgency level has risen as data collection online has grown, states have begun enforcing abortion bans and cyberattacks have increased. Ruth Reader talks with Carmen Paun about the multitude of views that lawmakers, lobbyists and the Biden administration have on how to protect health data, particularly data  not covered by the federal health privacy law, HIPAA.

The military’s Covid-19 vaccine requirement could end if Republican senators succeed in amending the National Defense Authorization Act that’s expected to be taken up in the coming weeks. Megan Messerly talks with Grace Scullion about the legislation. Plus, Carmen Paun discusses the U.N.'s recognition of a huge milestone: the earth’s population now totals eight billion.

A pair of little-discussed Republican victories on Tuesday threaten to undermine abortion access in two states. Megan Messerly talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about why this highlights a bright spot for the GOP amid an otherwise challenging election night for anti-abortion groups.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a gastroenterologist, is a contender to chair the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee if Republicans can eke out control of the Senate. Ben Leonard talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about his recent conversation with Cassidy, who is a telehealth proponent and has repeatedly warned about hackers targeting hospitals and other health care organizations. Plus, Lauren Gardner takes Pulse Check's 60 second challenge.

A coming Supreme Court decision could have broad implications for who is accountable for ensuring individual rights to federally funded services are protected, including housing, foster care and nutrition. Ruth Reader talks with Grace Scullion about HHC v. Talevski. Plus, Chris Murray on the new study out of the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine which estimates immunity to Covid by country.

Pennsylvania's current Democratic attorney general Josh Shapiro was elected governor Tuesday night, and Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman won against Mehmet Oz. Both Shapiro and Fetterman made abortion rights central to their campaigns. Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Ben Leonard about what we know and what we don't know so far about how motivating abortion rights were at the ballot box.

Although they haven't been focused on as much as abortion, other measures across the health care spectrum are on the ballot Tuesday. Daniel Payne talks with Ruth Reader about Medicaid expansion, medical debt, health as a human right, flavored vape bans and marijuana legalization.

From governors to ballot measures, legislatures to attorneys general, voters are casting ballots both directly and indirectly on abortion. Megan Messerly talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about the top races she's watching that will impact who can obtain an abortion, where and how. Also, Alice Miranda Ollstein provides a dispatch from Kentucky.

A new congressional report links cybersecurity in the health sector to patient safety. Ben Leonard talks with Megan Messerly about the new report from Senate Cybersecurity Caucus co-founder Mark Warner’s (D-Va.) office, which asks Congress to consider getting HHS to set minimum security standards for the health industry. Plus, Katherine Ellen Foley on what you should know from Pfizer and Moderna's earnings calls.

On Wednesday, in a deal not yet finalized, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart agreed to pay a total of $13.8 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits for their roles in the opioid crisis. Krista Mahr talks with Grace Scullion about the settlement and the newest developments on the opioid front.

The FDA’s tobacco regulatory decision-making process is so slow and opaque that it’s ineffective, say legal, industry and public health experts appearing before an outside panel conducting a commissioner-mandated review of the program. Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Ben Leonard. Plus, Greer Donley, a professor specializing in reproductive health care at the University of Pittsburgh Law School, breaks down what the FDA’s stance on doctors prescribing abortion pills to people who aren’t yet pregnant means in practice.

Pediatric hospitals nationwide are filling with children severely ill with respiratory syncytial virus that, after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, has made a sudden surge. Lauren Gardner talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about how the increase in RSV cases casts attention on a handful of drugmakers with vaccines. Plus, Alice's dispatch from Michigan where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is trying to make an economic case for abortion rights.

The leading industry group for biopharmaceutical companies is reeling after the departure of its CEO — just as the Biden administration is poised to begin implementing a new law aimed at reducing drug prices and as the balance of power could shift in Congress. Megan Wilson talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about the turmoil at the industry group. Plus, Chris Hammond, a Covid long-hauler, shares what life has been like for him, the Johns Hopkins trials he's a part of, and why he's not optimistic about additional Covid funding from Congress.

David Lim talks with Ruth Reader about the biggest takeaways from MedTech, an annual conference held by the medical device industry. Plus, researcher Eric Bressman discusses a new study that found that sending patients automated text messages to check on them after they’ve left the hospital can reduce their chances of readmission or a visit to the emergency room.

Two years after Congress offered a fix to struggling rural hospitals, the overwhelming majority are taking a pass. Daniel Payne talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about why. Plus, Katherine Ellen Foley breaks down the CDC's newest Morbidity and Mortality weekly report on monkeypox.

Arizona voters could approve a measure designed to stop creditors from gouging people with medical bills, and other states are taking notice. If the Arizona measure passes, the union-backed initiative is likely to be replicated in other red and purple states where progressives have successfully pushed ballot measures to accomplish what conservative legislators will not, like expanding Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and establishing paid sick leave. Megan Messerly talks with Lauren Gardner about the new measure. Plus, David Agus, the Ellison Institute’s CEO, on developing digital Covid certificates, green passes and Covid passports.

Nearly three years into the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report from Resolve to Save Lives is highlighting the infectious diseases that didn’t end in catastrophe. Daniel Payne talks with Krista Mahr about what we can learn from case studies of of successful containment in ebola, rabies and cholera.

Large health systems are investing big money into providing more care at home — everything from post-operative care to treatments for chronic disease. Even as successive administrations have touted remote patient monitoring programs as key to improving health and reducing unnecessary government spending, state Medicaid offices often remain an impediment to scaling them nationally. Ruth Reader talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about why.

The Biden administration is racing against the dropping temperatures to convince more Americans to get the updated Covid-19 booster shot amid low uptake numbers driven by confusion over the shot, declining infection numbers and profound pandemic fatigue. Krista Mahr talks with Grace Scullion about what the Biden administration's messaging strategy is and whether it's working. Plus, William Schaffner, medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, on the limitations of the CDC.