Politico's Pulse Check

The breach of DC Health Link, uncovered last month, involved the theft of more than 50,000 customers, including at least 17 House members and almost 600 House staffers, according to a top executive from the company in charge of the DC Health Link insurance market. Maggie Miller talks with host Alice Miranda Ollstein about the breach.  

The FDA has simplified the Covid vaccination regimen by updating the emergency use authorizations of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna bivalent mRNA boosters. Katherine Ellen Foley talks to host Ruth Reader about what this means for those who have never been vaccinated and for immunocompromised individuals and those over age 65.

Washington has become the first state to create data privacy protections specifically related to health information, following the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade in June. Alfred Ng talks with host Megan Messerly about the impact this might have on companies sharing or collecting consumer health data and the possible far-reaching influence it could have on other states. 

Sen. John Fetterman returned to Congress this week, and  Myah Ward talks to host Ben Leonard about the lawmaker’s experience with depression shows that Washington is more openly talking about mental health, and making the issue a policy priority.

When people check out mental health apps, telehealth services or even hospital websites, they may not know they are capturing detailed personal information used for marketing and advertising. Ruth Reader talks to host Katherine Ellen Foley about what the FTC and HHS are doing to crack down on the practice.

Simmering tensions at one of the nation’s leading trade organizations for generic drugmakers could threaten its lobbying clout at a crucial time for the industry. Megan R. Wilson talks with host Ruth Reader about the Association for Accessible Medicines, which has lost some members, contributing to budget cuts and layoffs of some top staffers.

The White House has designated a horse tranquilizer as an "emerging threat" to public health because when mixed with fentanyl it could be fatal. The number of overdose deaths where xylazine was detected increased by more than 1,000 percent between 2020 and 2021 in the South. Carmen Paun talks to host Ruth Reader about the steps being taken by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Lawmakers have introduced several bills this year that could ease the clinician shortage by expanding the roles of health care workers, allowing them to care for more patients than they currently do. But doctors say the proposed changes would put patient safety at risk. Daniel Payne talks with host Megan Messerly about what this means for the future of medical practices around the U.S.

The Biden administration has asked a judge to clarify how it should proceed following differing federal court decisions on the abortion pill mifepristone. The legal turmoil may eventually land before the Supreme Court. Alice Miranda Ollstein unpacks the legal tangle with host Ben Leonard.

According to a new survey from Common Sense Media, which offers age-based reviews of movies, TV shows, books, games and online content, teenage girls think their social media use is out of control. Ruth Reader talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about how the poll results show teen views on social media align in many ways with those of lawmakers in Congress and the states.

The pandemic has negatively impacted kids’ mental health. Daniel Payne talks with host Ben Leonard about the concerns of doctors and the legislation being proposed to help combat Covid’s effect. Plus, Katherine Ellen Foley provides a dispatch from this week’s World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C.

Federal contracts for Covid-19 vaccines are set to end this year. Katherine Ellen Foley talks with host Ruth Reader about her time at the World Vaccine Congress this week and the transition that drugmakers will need to make to sell their Covid vaccines in the commercial market. She also learned a lot about the world of next-gen vaccines.

The country is winding down the Covid-19 public health emergency. Meanwhile, doctors studying the effects of long Covid for the National Institutes of Health say the federal government needs to do more than they’re doing now for long Covid patients. Krista Mahr talks with host Ben Leonard about what researchers say should be done to address the issue.

On Monday, the FTC told Illumina to dissolve their acquisition with the multi-cancer early detection test company Grail. David Lim talks with host Ben Leonard about what this move means for the development and commercialization of cancer tests in the United States.

A string of victories in red and purple states in the 2022 midterms convinced abortion-rights supporters that ballot initiatives are among their most powerful tools. But internal divisions are splitting the abortion-rights movement over what limits, if any, to keep on abortion as efforts kick off in Missouri, Ohio, and South Dakota to put the issue to a popular vote this year and next. Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about what she's watching out for.

Republicans in staunchly conservative states are championing some atypical legislation this session — promoting sex education, government welfare and more birth control. Megan Messerly talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about the proposals that some governors and lawmakers have referred to as a “new pro-life agenda” for the post-Roe era.

The nation's drug regulator approved the first over-the-counter opioid overdose reversal nasal spray on Wednesday. Katherine Ellen Foley talks with host Ruth Reader about the significance of Narcan being available without a prescription and the hopes for how it might positively impact the opioid overdose epidemic in the U.S.

The Biden administration has been clashing with Republicans over their attempt to ban abortion pills nationwide. But yesterday, it was Democratic attorneys general who faced off with the administration in court over the FDA’s authority to place certain restrictions on abortion pills. Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with host Megan Messerly about the effect it could have on pharmacies dispensing the pills.

National institute on Drug Abuse Deputy Director Dr. Wilson Compton sat down with POLITICO’s Natalie Fertig recently to chat about the known health effects of cannabis, and the limitations on cannabis research. Natalie talks with host Megan Messerly about why Compton argued that he and other researchers need access to cannabis products being sold in state-legal dispensaries.

The Department of Defense is funding a $3 million project to find the best human decision-making attributes artificial intelligence can imitate. Erin Schumaker talks with host Carmen Paun about the value of training AI to make the most difficult medical decisions people face.