Politico's Pulse Check

Liberal activists celebrated last week's raucous town halls — but did the pro-ACA chants actually change any Republican lawmakers' minds? What's in Speaker Paul Ryan's plan to repeal and replace the health law? And where does President Donald Trump's promise to strike down Obamacare actually stand? In a bonus episode, POLITICO's Jennifer Haberkorn and Paul Demko joined Dan Diamond to discuss their reporting from Iowa and Tennessee town halls, what's next for Trump's push and Paul's scoop from Friday — getting a first look at the House's ACA repeal bill. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com. And keep your ears peeled: A full episode of PULSE CHECK will be posted at the regular time this week.

One of the biggest controversies in health care: The price of the EpiPen, which soared from $57 in 2007 to more than $300 last year. Critics said Mylan's steady price hikes were a sign of corporate greed. But Mylan CEO Heather Bresch — who appears on this week's PULSE CHECK — argues her decisions were motivated by bigger problems in the health care system. Bresch joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to defend her side of the EpiPen pricing controversy, discuss the role of middlemen in U.S. drug pricing, and explain why she wants her experience to be a way to expose the deeper problems with the drug industry (starts at the 1:30 mark). Then after the break, Mark Merritt, the head of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, joined to share his diagnosis for high drug prices, argue why pharmacy benefit managers are more than just middlemen, and reveal what it was like testifying in front of Congress with Martin Shkreli (starts at the 13:30 mark). We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on

Seema Verma isn't a household name in health care — but she's about to be. President Donald Trump's pick to run CMS has been a health policy consultant for multiple Republican governors, including then-Gov. Mike Pence in Indiana, and she's facing her Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday. So what's waiting for Verma, and what would her likely confirmation mean for the health care industry? We talked to two people who would know. First, Tom Scully — the irascible health care lawyer and investor who ran CMS under President George W. Bush — joins PULSE CHECK to discuss leading the agency, why one of his first decisions was to change the name to "CMS," the advice he's given Verma and what he thinks she needs to do to be successful (starts at the 1:40 mark). Then after the break, Joan Alker — the executive director of Georgetown's Center for Children and Families — talks with POLITICO's Dan Diamond about Republicans' plans to reform Medicaid, what Verma's track record suggests she'll pursue if confirmed and the

President Donald Trump says the drug industry is "getting away with murder" — but Stephen Ubl, the nation's top pharma lobbyist, says his industry's life-saving work has been overshadowed by a few bad actors. Ubl joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to share his thoughts on drug prices, his recent meeting with Trump, PhRMA's top priorities, and why Martin Shkreli and other controversial figures don't tell the whole story about the industry. (Starts at the 1:45 mark.) Then after the break, POLITICO's pharma reporter Sarah Karlin-Smith discusses her reporting on drug price reform. (Starts at 28:00.) We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

President Donald Trump has talked about putting 'America First.' Who better to weigh in on the implications for global health than Ashish Jha, who leads Harvard's Global Health Institute and is a leader in U.S. health care research too. Jha joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss his work on global health issues (starts at the 1:30 mark), his deep concerns about Trump's immigration ban and his own immigrant experience (5:00), how he juggles multiple roles as a professor, researcher and clinician (11:30), his research into gender and physician performance (17:30), ProPublica's surgeon scorecard (21:30), why he helped resurrect a climate change conference that CDC cancelled (30:30), and more. Also: Stay tuned for the lightning round that starts at 34:10. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

One week ago, Donald Trump was inaugurated as president — and within hours, he was making moves to weaken the Affordable Care Act. After a frenetic week of news, POLITICO's Jen Haberkorn joins Dan Diamond for an impromptu podcast to discuss President Trump's order and statements on the ACA, the state of the GOP's push to repeal and replace the law, how HHS Secretary-designate Tom Price's nomination is faring and other major stories shaping health care. *Note: Podcast was recorded before Friday night's POLITICO scoop that the Trump administration would allow HHS to run some outreach for the Affordable Care Act after all . We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Rep. Tom Price — Donald Trump’s pick to run HHS — needs to undergo a pair of Senate hearings before being confirmed. But he’s under attack from Democrats, after a series of stories linking Price’s stock trades to legislation that he’s written. As of Tuesday afternoon, Price’s initial hearing on Wednesday is still on. One reason why the timing matters: Trump has said that he won’t release his health reform plan until Price is confirmed. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), who co-authored the STOCK Act — which led to Price’s stock disclosures — first joins PULSE CHECK to talk about ethical issues in Congress, why she wants the SEC to investigate Price, and why she’s seeing a wave of support for Obamacare (starts at the 2:45 mark). Then after the break, Rodney Whitlock — who served as GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley’s health policy director — explains what to expect in a confirmation hearing, what lawmakers need to do to avoid Price’s fate, and where he thinks Republicans go from here (starts at 17:30). We’d appreciate your

Obamacare repeal, drug price reform — and vaccine investigations? President-elect Donald Trump has pushed all three health care priorities this week, and Senate Republicans just advanced his agenda by voting to begin striking down the Affordable Care Act. First, POLITICO's pharma reporter Sarah Karlin-Smith joins Dan Diamond (starts at the 2:15 mark) to explain Republicans' early-morning vote on Thursday, discuss why Democrats voted against Sen. Bernie Sanders' proposal to import drugs from Canada, and walk through what Trump's attack on the pharma industry could mean. Then, Arthur Allen — POLITICO's eHealth editor and author of "Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine's Greatest Lifesaver" — joins Dan (starts at 23:55) to discuss Trump's emerging plan to investigate vaccine safety and why it could be a disaster for public health. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

The Obamacare repeal battle is THE story in health care, but it's not the only one. On a special edition of PULSE CHECK, five POLITICO health care reporters talk about what they're seeing ahead for the Affordable Care Act, and also drill down on other recent industry news. First, Pro's Jen Haberkorn and Rachana Pradhan (starts at the 2:15 mark) join Dan Diamond to discuss whether GOP plans to repeal Obamacare remain realistic, North Carolina's last-ditch push for Medicaid expansion, and who they're watching this frantic week. After the break, Pro's Paul Demko and Sarah Karlin-Smith (starts at 23:15) offer updates on the court battle over insurer mega-mergers, what the Cures Act could do for the pharma sector, and whether the health care industry will benefit or suffer under the Trump administration. *Note: Podcast was recorded before Monday night's moves in Congress to slow down Obamacare repeal efforts. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questio

One man is trying to repeal Obamacare. The other is trying to save it. As Congress returns and the health reform battle begins, this week's PULSE CHECK features two key figures on opposite sides of the Affordable Care Act. First, Rep. Phil Roe joins POLITICO's Dan Diamond (starts at the 1:40 mark) to explain his new ACA replacement proposal, which is backed by the Republican Study Committee, why he thinks Obamacare is in a "death spiral," and what he knows as a doctor who spent decades treating patients in rural Tennessee. After the break, Leslie Dach — a former top HHS official and the head of Protect Our Care, a new coalition of advocacy groups — talks about the plan to defend Obamacare (starts at the 24:30 mark), how they're judging success, and why he thinks Republicans are in "disarray." He's joined by Meaghan Smith, a former HHS official now at SKDknickerbocker. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email dd

Steve Case made his fortune by founding AOL. A decade ago, he took a shot at fixing health care's problems with Revolution Health, a massively hyped startup. Now he's looking at health care as an investor and believes the 2016 election showed why those investments should be distributed around the country — and not just in Silicon Valley and the East Coast. Case joined PULSE CHECK to discuss how a billionaire businessman looks at health care and politics (1:55), how he thinks venture capitalists should approach the space (8:00), why he poured $100 million-plus dollars into a health care startup (13:00), his take on Donald Trump's election and the implications (25:30), how an AOL founder sees the rise of fake news (34:00), and more. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Seven years ago, the nation's biggest health care associations endorsed Obamacare. Now they're throwing their support behind Rep. Tom Price, who President-elect Donald Trump picked to run HHS — and lead the effort to take Obamacare apart. What does it mean to be an advocacy organization in the Trump era, and how do those groups pick their battles? First, AAMC's Atul Grover joins PULSE CHECK (starts at the 2:20 mark) to explain what an advocacy organization does, why his organization endorsed Price, and why they're still committed to fighting for coverage expansion. After the break, Manan Trivedi (24:10) explains why the National Physicians Alliance, a smaller association, is deeply opposed to Tom Price and Trump's planned health reforms. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app. Have questions, suggestions or feedback — especially given the political changes? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Rep. Tom Price is President-elect Donald Trump's pick to run the Department of Health and Human Services, the trillion-dollar cabinet agency that oversees Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare and much more. But is Price ready to take on the enormous job — and what will he find when he gets there? A former HHS Secretary nominee and a well-regarded policy analyst break down what comes next. First, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle joins PULSE CHECK (starts at the 2:30 mark) to discuss what it was like to be nominated to run HHS, how the White House and other officials work together to craft health reform and why he thinks Democrats should find ways to work with Trump, not resist him. Then, Stuart Butler of the Brookings Institution joins PULSE CHECK (starts at the 23:20 mark) to go deep on Tom Price's policies, explain how they could change Obamacare and game out what Republicans will do next on health reform. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app. Have qu

It's a moment of change in Washington. In January, Democrats will be out of the White House for the first time in eight years, and Republicans will have a free hand to enact their agenda. So this episode of PULSE CHECK is about influence: specifically, who's in position to influence that agenda — and what that means for health care. First, Ed Haislmaier of the Heritage Foundation — which is playing a key role in shaping the Trump transition — joins POLITICO's Dan Diamond (starts at the 2:20 mark) to discuss his think tank's approach to health care, how Obamacare should be repealed and which conservative ideas should inform the ACA's replacement. Then, Henry Waxman joins the podcast (starts at the 25:10 mark) to share his perspective as a longtime liberal lawmaker-turned-lobbyist, how congressional Democrats should work with the Trump administration and what worries him about Republicans' looming health care reforms. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app.

President-elect Donald Trump wants to strike down Obamacare, and the GOP-led Congress is eager to do it. But what are the realistic next steps, when will they happen, and what shouldn’t be overlooked? Two leading conservative thinkers — including the author of an Obamacare replacement plan — explain Republicans' options and point to clues on what will happen next. First, Doug Holtz-Eakin of the American Action Forum joined PULSE CHECK (starts at the 2:55 mark) to discuss what it’s like to lose a presidential election, what an Obamacare repeal-and-replace strategy could look like, and how he thinks Trump could govern. Then, Avik Roy of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity joined PULSE CHECK (starts at the 28:45 mark) to talk about his dramatic year where he publicly broke with the Republican party, why he’s written his own Obamacare replacement plan, and what we shouldn’t overlook about Trump’s health policy. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast a

Donald Trump's historic victory will lead to sweeping changes in America's politics and policy. That may start with health care: Trump has repeatedly pledged to immediately repeal and replace Obamacare. And he's got a GOP-led Congress to help him do it. But two influential figures — on opposite sides of the political spectrum — say the president-elect's rhetoric is about to collide with harsh reality: Rolling back the law isn't going to be easy. First, AEI's James Capretta joined PULSE CHECK (starts at the 1:35 mark) to discuss his reaction to Trump's policy-light campaign and stunning victory, why he's an advocate of Speaker Paul Ryan's repeal-and-replace plan — which is expected to be Trump's blueprint — and why he thinks the Affordable Care Act isn't totally going away. Then, Families USA's Ron Pollack joined PULSE CHECK (starts at the 23:30 mark) to explain why he's declaring "total war" to keep Obamacare alive, why he thinks Gov. Matt Bevin's failure to completely roll back the ACA in Kentucky is a promi

Twelve days before the election, and more than six years after it passed, Obamacare remains one of the most divisive issues in American politics. But why are voters so far apart, and where do opinions on health reform *really* stand? Harvard's Bob Blendon has the answers. Blendon, one of the most influential figures in public polling, is now working with POLITICO on a series of polls about health care, politics and more. He joined the "Pulse Check" podcast — along with POLITICO's Executive Editor for Health Joanne Kenen —  to discuss takeaways from the latest POLITICO-Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll (starts at the 4:10 mark), why drug prices have emerged as a potential bipartisan reform (11:40), how voters rank certain health care priorities and why abortion is the ultimate "litmus test" issue (17:00), how polling has changed over time and why Brexit went wrong (26:50), and how much we should trust polling data at all (38:00). Plus: Don't miss the lightning round quiz at 46:00. We’d appreciate

Andy Slavitt is one of the most influential people in health care. He's also one of the busiest: The head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has a long to-do list — and just 93 days left to do it. Back on PULSE CHECK by popular demand, Slavitt talks about Medicare's landmark physician payment law, which was finalized on Friday (starts at the 5:00 mark), Obamacare open enrollment (20:50), the concern over rising ACA rates in his home state of Minnesota and elsewhere (26:15), President Obama and other Democrats' push for the public option (29:45), the fight over Medicare's innovation center and the Part B demo (31:45), and how he feels watching the election, given that Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will be choosing his successor (42:00). Plus: Don't miss the lightning round quiz at 47:15. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Bijan Salehizadeh enrolled at Columbia Medical School with the goal of becoming a hotshot cardiac surgeon. Just a few years later, he'd traded the operating room for the boardrooms of venture capital, where he became known as one of Silicon Valley's smartest health care investors. Now the managing director of Arlington, Va.-based NaviMed Capital — the rare "V.C. in D.C." — Bijan joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss how he fell into this career and how investors evaluate opportunities (starts at the 2:10 mark), how he got pitched by a young Elizabeth Holmes, founder of a then-fledgling Theranos (10:30), whether digital health is delivering on its promise (25:00), and more. Also: Check out the lightning round that start at 41:35. We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app! Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.