Politico's Pulse Check

Thousands of migrant families were separated at the border by the Trump administration last year. One of the HHS officials involved in putting them back together: Chris Meekins — a Trump appointee who normally helped oversee emergency preparedness, but was tapped as part of HHS' broader response. Meekins, who left HHS last week, sat down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to defend the HHS family reunification effort and discuss the Trump administration's broader missteps at the border (starts at the 1:30 mark), explain how HHS responds to natural disasters (21:00), review the biosecurity threats facing America (26:30) and more. REFERENCED ON THE SHOW How HHS got drawn into the family separation crisis. The Trump administration has been criticized for its response to hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. The Strategic National Stockpile was shifted from CDC to HHS last year. The Trump administration last fall announced a new biodefense strategy. A U.S. doctor exposed to Ebola was brought to Nebraska last week.

It's a new year, and PULSE CHECK returns to look at what's ahead. POLITICO's Adam Cancryn and Rachana Pradhan join Dan Diamond to discuss if the partial government shutdown will end soon (starts at the 1:45 mark), what's on Congress' to-do list (4:00) and how the Trump administration is putting its stamp on the states (16:45) — with a bonus conversation about the most influential Trump appointees (26:10). REFERENCED ON THE SHOW There’s no sign that the partial government shutdown will come to an end soon. More. Adam and Alice Miranda Ollstein’s POLITICO Pro story on House Democrats’ new health strategy. (Behind the Pro firewall.) More. Rachana’s story about thousands of Arkansas residents losing Medicaid coverage every month. More. Arkansas health chief Cindy Gillespie and ex-CMS Administrator Andy Slavitt dueled on POLITICO's podcast about whether work requirements would harm Medicaid beneficiaries. More. Atul Gawande’s October 2017 New Yorker article on whether health care should be a right. More. M

In an episode of POLITICO's "Nerdcast," guest host Dan Diamond joins congressional reporters Rachael Bade and Burgess Everett to review the partial government shutdown, how it's affecting the agencies and the possible path toward a deal.

You may have heard about Texas' lawsuit over Obamacare, and a judge's recent decision that the ACA is unconstitutional. But have you heard about Maryland's counter-attack? Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh is locked in a legal battle with the Trump administration, and he joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to explain his fight to get the ACA declared as the law of the land. (Starts at the 1:20 mark.) Then after the break, POLITICO executive editor for health care Joanne Kenen and reporter Paul Demko sit down with Dan to discuss the ongoing ACA legal battles, interpret the latest Obamacare enrollment numbers and explain why so many Americans are at risk after Friday's court ruling against the ACA. (Starts at the 14:20 mark.) REFERENCED ON THE SHOW Frosh in September sued the Trump administration over the ACA. Paul and Alice Miranda Ollstein's review of ACA enrollment numbers. Joanne and Alice's article on how many Americans benefit from the ACA, whether they know it or not.

"I don't want anyone to think I'm against the harm-reduction potential of these devices for adults. But 3 percent of adults are using these devices — [and] 20 percent of high schoolers are using these devices." Surgeon General Jerome Adams sits down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to explain why he's issuing an advisory on the risks of e-cigarettes for youth — just the second surgeon general advisory since 2005. (Starts at the 1:30 mark.) Adams also reviews what he thought of doctors' recent clash with the NRA on social media, how he's setting his 2019 priorities and even shares some personal details. After the break, POLITICO's Sarah Owermohle joins Dan to discuss Adams' comments on e-cigarettes and the Trump administration's broader push on vaping. (Starts at the 21:30 mark.) REFERENCED ON THE SHOW The surgeon general's office has a resource guide for parents, providers and children on e-cigarettes. FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb joined POLITICO's podcast in November to discuss his own concerns about vapi

Policy wonks are increasingly pessimistic about Affordable Care Act open enrollment this year, as sign-ups fall further behind last year's pace. What's next for health coverage — in 2018 and beyond? First, Noah Lang of Stride Health joins POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss Stride's new partnership with CMS to help workers for Uber, Etsy and other gig economy companies get covered. Then, POLITICO's Adam Cancryn and Alice Miranda Ollstein review the ACA sign-up slowdown, Democrats' tricky policy fight over Medicare for All and why the Supreme Court turned down a chance to weigh in on abortion. REFERENCED ON THE PODCAST Sign-ups on HealthCare.gov are about 10 percent behind last year's pace, according to CMS data released Wednesday. There are many possible culprits. Adam's story on progressives' looming dispute over Medicare for All. Alice's story on the Supreme Court rejecting petitions to hear cases involving Planned Parenthood.

Health care helped Democrats capture the House of Representatives. Now comes the hard part: Figuring out a path forward, with some progressives embracing proposals like Medicare for All — and centrists worried that the plan isn't feasible and a political loser. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who leads the House's Medicare for All Caucus, joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to defend the idea amid Republican attacks, explain why she thinks its time has come, and criticize the health care industry's attempts to stop it.

POLITICO's Paul Demko, who's in for host Dan Diamond, speaks with reporters Alice Ollstein and Sarah Karlin-Smith about what to expect on the health care front from the lame-duck session of Congress (spoiler: not much). Plus, just as only Nixon could go to China, perhaps only Republicans can limit drug coverage in Medicare Part D -- a discussion of proposed changes from CMS and the seeming lack of opposition from Congressional Republicans, at least for the moment. Reporting referenced in this episode: GOP infighting delaying popular health bills CMS takes on 'protected classes' in Part D

Dan Barber is a chef known for his radical take on food. He's appeared on the popular Netflix show Chef's Table and is the owner of Blue Hill Restaurant. He joins host Dan Diamond to talk about the future of food and nutrition, and why he thinks we should be using more of the foods we throw away.

"All the great gains that we've made in this country, reducing smoking rates ... all of that will be reversed or lost if we can't address the youth use of e-cigarettes." FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is planning a crackdown on sales of e-cigarettes — a story that broke on Thursday — and he sat down exclusively with POLITICO to talk about why the agency is making such a dramatic move. Gottlieb joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss his infamous "almonds don't lactate" comment and other nutrition news (starts at the 6:00 mark), explain his concerns about e-cigarettes and tease the FDA's pending crackdown (14:45), answer questions about the Trump administration's approach to science and vaccines (30:30), discuss FDA's new approach to approving opioids (35:30) and explain why the FDA's drug importation working group has been so low-profile (38:30). And stick around for the lightning round of questions about Gottlieb's job, which starts at 42:30. But first, POLITICO's Sarah Owermohle joins the podcast to p

From Medicaid expansion to ACA repeal, health care was on the ballot on Tuesday night. POLITICO's Rachel Roubein, Paul Demko and Adam Cancryn join Dan Diamond to discuss the key winners — and notable losers — and explain what to watch in Congress and the states in the coming months. READING MATERIAL Adam and Alice Miranda Ollstein looked at how Tuesday's results served as redemption for the Affordable Care Act. POLITICO's Burgess Everett and Elana Schor examined the Senate GOP's strengthened hand.

Need a guide to Election Day — and all of the health care storylines? POLITICO's health team has you covered this week, with a roundtable episode that explains what we're watching around the nation. First, Victoria Colliver joins from California to discuss the record spending on the state's measure to cap dialysis clinic profits. (Starts at the 1:15 mark.) Then Adam Cancryn and Paul Demko sit down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to review key races and share insights from reporting trips to states like Ohio, Idaho and Kansas (Starts at the 7:30 mark.) MENTIONED ON THE SHOW Victoria's story on the record $111 million in spending over California's ballot measure to rein in dialysis clinics' profits. (The story is behind POLITICO's Pro firewall.) Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times looks at the spending fight over the dialysis ballot measure. Paul's story on Idaho's ballot measure for Medicaid expansion. Alice Miranda Ollstein's story on the Medicaid expansion debate in Georgia and other states led by GOP

Nora Volkow has run the National Institute on Drug Abuse for 15 years — long enough to serve three presidents, to see the science of addiction evolve and to witness the rise of the opioid crisis (and try to fight it). Nora sat down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss her unusual background — a Mexican who ended up leading the U.S. agency that investigates drug abuse and addiction — as well as the causes of addiction, what the government is doing to fight it and which movie or TV show actually gets the problem right. MENTIONED ON THE SHOW AND FOR FURTHER REFERENCE NIDA's work on addiction science, which informs international efforts. Nora's own research, as a practicing scientist. Brianna Ehley's recent POLITICO story on the rise of deaths from meth, cocaine and other drugs.

"What we were trying to do at the time was change the mindset of the executives running these large organizations. And I, for one, think we succeeded far beyond my wildest imagination, in putting enough things into the Affordable Care Act that the people out in the field said, 'Whoa, the world is changing and we’ve got to respond to it.'" Peter Orszag is one of the intellectual godfathers of the Affordable Care Act, serving as President Barack Obama's top budget official during the health care fight. Now he's helping put together the health care giants of the future, advising on mega-deals like CVS-Aetna and Cigna-Express Scripts as a top investment banker at Lazard. Peter sat down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to walk through his experience in the Obama White House, what he's learned on Wall Street and how he sees health care moving forward. (Starts at the 7:10 mark.) But first, Dan runs through some of the big stories from the week, including the Trump administration's plan to require that drug companies p

It’s no secret that health care has been a key election issue — Democrats are promising to defend the Affordable Care Act and expand coverage, while Republicans are warning that Medicare for All puts seniors at risk. So where do we stand a month away from the midterms? First, POLITICO's Adam Cancryn joins Dan Diamond to break down the latest campaign messaging on health care and several key battles. (Starts at the 1:45 mark.) Then, Lauren Underwood — a nurse, a former HHS staffer and a first-time candidate for the House of Representatives — explains why she's running for Congress, in a competitive Illinois race. (Starts at the 16:45 mark.) (Note: POLITICO reached out to Underwood's opponent, Rep. Randy Hultgren, but has been unable to book him on the show.) It's not too early to cast a vote for PULSE CHECK: Please rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com. MENTIONED ON THE SHOW Writing in POLITICO, Adam's story on Republicans using misle

Since becoming law in 1965, Medicaid has been shrouded in debate and misperceptions. It costs too much; the services are poor quality; it’s just a handout. In this special branded episode of Pulse Check at Work, we sought to set the record straight with Dr. Rod Hochman, president and CEO of Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH), and Dr. Rhonda Medows, executive vice president of Population Health at PSJH. This episode is sponsored content from Providence St. Joseph Health and produced by POLITICO Focus, POLITICO’s in-house brand content studio. POLITICO’s editorial team was not involved in the production of this episode.

A "health coach" is just what it sounds like — a coach who’s there to help patients manage a problem, or make changes to their lifestyle. And thousands. On this episode, you'll hear from two. First, Michele Geraldi — a coach for Omada Health, which specializes in diabetes prevention — explains how she works to convince patients to be healthier. Then Ruth Wolever, who runs Vanderbilt's health coaching program and cofounded an international consortium to make coaching better, explains how health coaches fit into value-based care and where she thinks the industry is heading. It's your chance to coach POLITICO: Please rate or review this show on your favorite podcast app; just search for "POLITICO Pulse Check"! And tip ddiamond@politico.com with suggestions and feedback.

Health care is awash in data. And we’re all being tracked, maybe in ways we don’t even realize, by a new class of analysts, armed with increasingly savvy tools. So who are these people — these data scientists — and what exactly do they do? That's what we'll answer on this episode of "Pulse Check: At Work." First, Jonathan Sung takes us inside his data-driven projects at the Department of Transportation and Kaiser Permanente. Then, Aneesh Chopra — who was the nation's first Chief Technology Officer and is now president of CareJourney, a firm using data to improve care — explains the skill set to get hired as a data scientist and why he thinks we need a "digital Hippocratic Oath." Want to help POLITICO improve our own data? Please rate or review this show on your favorite podcast app; just search for "POLITICO Pulse Check"! And tip ddiamond@politico.com with suggestions and feedback. Note: We'll continue our regular news coverage and analysis while this series is running — look for bonus episodes in your f

Overseas doctors are cheaper. Artificial intelligence could eventually be smarter. Patient safety concerns have multiplied. Are American radiologists' days numbered? These radiologists say no — and take listeners inside their work. First, Dr. Stefan Tigges of Emory University opens up about the highs and lows of the job, and how he uses his cartoons to teach the next generation of radiologists. After the break, Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman of the University of California-San Francisco, shares a national perspective about how the work is changing, how she thinks about radiation risks and what policymakers need to know. Like PULSE CHECK? Rate or review us on your favorite podcast app. And tip ddiamond@politico.com with suggestions and feedback. Note: We'll continue our regular news coverage and analysis while this series is running — look for bonus episodes in your feed.

Home health aide is one of the fastest-growing jobs in America — and the first job in our month-long series that will explain how different health care workers fit into the broader health policy picture. What's it like to be a home health aide — and why take such a demanding, low-paying job in the first place? Lisa Morris, a home health worker in New Jersey, joins POLITICO to explain. Meanwhile, Harvard professor David Grabowski offers insight into the trends and policies that are shaping the home health field. Like PULSE CHECK? Rate or review us on your favorite podcast app. And tip ddiamond@politico.com with suggestions and feedback. Note: We'll continue our regular news coverage and analysis while this series is running — look for bonus episodes in your feed.