Politico's Pulse Check

Health care treatments such as gene therapy may hold the key to effectively treat rare genetic diseases and alleviate future chronic diseases. Host Kelly Hooper talks with Robert King about what we learned from POLITICO's Next Generation of Health Care Therapies event.

Overdose deaths involving both cocaine and opioids have spiked over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Kelly Hooper about the factors driving the deadly increase.    

Once one of the biggest champions of the National Institutes of Health, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich now backs funding cuts to the agency. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks to Erin Schumaker about what's behind Gingrich’s new take on the NIH and how a budget cut would impact the agency's work.

The Biden administration’s effort to use HIPAA privacy laws to protect abortion rights is facing dual criticism from Republicans, who say it overreaches, and Democrats, who say it doesn’t go far enough. Host Kelly Hooper talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about President Joe Biden’s attempt to defend abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade.

CMS has proposed changes to Medicare’s physician fees. Host Evan Peng talks to Ben Leonard about a plan the agency says would advance lower costs, and support behavioral health.    

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb convinced a bipartisan majority in his state’s legislature to boost public health funding this year by 1,500 percent, overcoming opposition from fellow Republicans angry about the government’s response to Covid-19. Host Kelly Hooper talks to Megan Messerly about Indiana’s conservative model for strengthening public health.

The FDA’s approval of Opill comes after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision and as several states adopt bans on abortion. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks to Katherine Ellen Foley about the implications of the agency’s decision.

The nomination of Monica Bertagnolli to lead the National Institutes of Health is now caught between President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over the administration's drug pricing agenda. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks to Adam Cancryn about Bertagnolli’s stalled candidacy.  

The Biden administration has unveiled a plan to combat the growing threat of so-called Tranq Dope — a lethal combination of fentanyl and the horse tranquilizer xylazine — which has led to a surge in deaths in the U.S. Host Megan Messerly talks with Carmen Paun about the administration’s new strategy to curb overdose deaths.    

High policy aspirations, partisan gridlock and deadlines for must-pass health care legislation plague lawmakers as they return from the July recess — only 11 legislative days from the next congressional break. Host Ben Leonard talks with Megan R. Wilson about what lies on Capitol Hill.

President Biden aims to limit short-term health coverage to a maximum of four months, reversing a previous regulation allowing for longer time periods implemented during the Trump administration. Host Kelly Hooper talks with Robert King about an array of recently proposed rules at HHS, DOL and the Treasury Department that the Biden administration believes will safeguard consumers and strengthen the Obamacare exchange by reining in what the president calls “junk insurance” plans.    

Jesse Ehrenfeld, the newly inaugurated president of the American Medical Association, is focusing on the political pressures doctors face as well as their pay. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Daniel Payne about what’s on Ehrenfeld’s mind as he takes the helm of one of the most influential groups in Washington.

Congressional Republicans have recently criticized CMS, claiming the agency ignored input from an appointed board of doctors about how to transition Medicare payment policies using new payment models. The new models switch from a focus on the volume of physician services provided to patients to payment models in which the value of services dominates. Host Carmen Paun talks with Robert King about the board, known as PTAC, and GOP concerns about the way CMS is implementing the switch to value-based care payment models.  

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has unveiled final guidance explaining how its negotiations with manufacturers over drug prices for Medicare patients will proceed. Congress last year authorized price bargaining on a limited number of medicines. Host Kelly Hooper talks with Robert King about how it will work.

Today marks CDC Director Rochelle Walensky’s last day at the agency. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Daniel Payne, who spoke to Walensky about what’s next for the future of the CDC and for her successor.

As the Alzheimer’s drug landscape shifts, drugmakers are developing the next class of treatments. Host Kelly Hooper talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about the future of such therapies.

An abortion dispute in Congress threatens to jeopardize the reauthorization of PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, credited with saving 25 million lives from the disease in the developing world. Host Megan Messerly talks with Carmen Paun about the debate over whether federal funds should support HIV/AIDS organizations that support abortion rights.

The FDA released draft guidance for researchers designing clinical trials using psychedelic drugs. Host Ben Leonard talks with Erin Schumaker about the future of psychedelic drug research and development.

House Republicans want to reform Medicare’s oft-criticized payment system in order to better compensate doctors and reduce their paperwork burdens, but Daniel Payne tells host Kelly Hooper that his reporting shows prospects for legislation this year are slim given competing legislative priorities and the complexity of the problem. 

It’s been a year since the landmark Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, with Republican and Democrat-controlled states taking opposing approaches to abortion rights. POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Megan Messerly go over the developments that defied predictions.