POLITICO's Pulse Check

Artificial intelligence is changing the way doctors practice, but also how the health care business runs. Host Chelsea Cirruzzo talks with POLITICO health care reporter Daniel Payne about the ways AI is already used across the medical landscape and how regulators are responding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As federal officials scramble to regulate artificial intelligence in health care, HHS has already become one of the top federal agencies using the technology. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO health reporter Chelsea Cirruzzo about some of the 80 implemented or planned uses of AI by HHS agencies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Abortion policy changes made since the fall of Roe v. Wade continue to spur ongoing political turmoil nationwide. Host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO health care reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein about the most significant developments surrounding abortion this year and what to expect heading into 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fatal overdoses of the synthetic opioid have hit record highs in the U.S. Host Ben Leonard talks with POLITICO global health reporter Carmen Paun about the devastating impact of the fentanyl epidemic.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heat is the second-leading cause of injury to postal workers after slips and falls. Letter carriers are supposed to receive training for dealing with high temperatures, but the Postal Service acknowledged to E&E News that it had in some cases falsified training records, reporter Ariel Wittenberg tells host Kelly Hooper. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration announced Thursday that drug companies receiving research funding from HHS’ emergency response arm, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, will have to commit to a “fair price” – not more than they charge in other countries. Host Chelsea Cirruzzo talks with POLITICO health care reporter Robert King about the Biden administration's efforts to curb high...

As Congress pursues landmark health reforms, lawmakers must align House and Senate legislation that includes ensuring transparency from hospitals, insurers and pharmacy benefit managers and reauthorizing a law that would expand treatment for opioid use disorders. Host Megan Messerly talks with POLITICO health care reporter Ben Leonard about the chances of reconciling the chambers’ competing bills....

Congress has moved to reup treatment for opioid use disorder as the rate of fatal overdoses remains near record highs in the US. Host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO global health reporter Carmen Paun about the role of the SUPPORT Act in the ongoing opioid epidemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mining companies offer good jobs with good benefits that can counterintuitively damage health care access, boosting it for some while hampering it for others. Host Ben Leonard talks with POLITICO health care reporter Megan Messerly about the unintended ripple effects of mining companies' good health benefits plans.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congressional negotiations to reup the law governing the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief are at an impasse over abortion. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO global health reporter Carmen Paun about what's going on and what it means for a program credited with saving 25 million lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The White House says it can use "march-in rights" to seize patents for certain medicines partly developed with federal funds. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO White House Correspondent Adam Cancryn about how the move could give the president another tool in his effort to lower drug prices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson's rise to House Speaker and the departure of some key health care policy aides are shifting power on the Hill, giving more sway to the priorities of committee chairs and their senior staffers in the shaping of health care policy in 2024. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO health care reporter Megan R. Wilson about the changes.     Learn more about you...

Google wants to make your phone a "doctor in your pocket" using artificial intelligence, but lawmakers worry the tech giant and others are innovating too fast before patient protections are set. Host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO health care reporter Ruth Reader about artificial intelligence and Washington's drive to regulate.               Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

The Affordable Care Act insures more than 40 million people and is very popular. Host Ben Leonard talks with POLITICO health care reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein about why calls by former President Donald Trump to replace the law could fall on deaf ears. (edited)      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FDA is close to a decision on a landmark one-time gene-editing treatment for patients with sickle cell disease and another blood disorder. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO health care reporter Lauren Gardner about how the therapy works, its safety profile, who will be eligible for it and the significant challenges around affordability and access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Former President Donald Trump is once again calling to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move the Biden administration views as a political gift ahead of the 2024 election. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO White House Correspondent Adam Cancryn about Trump’s comments and the potential political implications.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Democrats and Republicans agree that the primary care system needs an overhaul. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO health care reporter Daniel Payne about the push to encourage nurses to take on new duties.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

China is seeing a surge in respiratory infections, especially among children, but health experts in the U.S. say it’s not a sign of another pandemic. Host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO global health care reporter Carmen Paun about the current outbreak and why experts say we shouldn’t be too concerned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bipartisan concern is growing on Capitol Hill over reports of care denials by Medicare Advantage plans through a tool known as prior authorization. Host Ben Leonard talks with POLITICO health care reporter Robert King about the increasing congressional scrutiny. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden signed into law an overhaul of the nation's organ transplant system, the first major reform in 40 years. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO health care reporter Chelsea Cirruzzo about how a lack of funding has stalled the effort.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The recent short-term government funding agreement has likely closed the door on typical year-end omnibus spending packages that could have advanced health priorities. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO health care reporter David Lim about the dim prospects for passing health policies before year’s end and what it means for 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

The latest Lancet Countdown report details the dire consequences of rising temperatures and increasing energy emissions. Host Ben Leonard talks with POLITICO EU health care reporter Ashleigh Furlong about the potential catastrophic threats climate change poses to human health.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The CDC announced last week that over 77,000 additional doses of a monoclonal antibody shot protecting infants from severe RSV are being distributed to providers amid ongoing shortages. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO health care reporter Chelsea Cirruzzo about the extra doses arriving as the winter illness season approaches. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a global first, the United Kingdom has approved a gene-editing treatment for some rare blood diseases that may receive U.S. approval next month. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO Europe health care reporter Carlo Martuscelli about the U.K. decision.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The lack of a year-end omnibus spending bill creates uncertainty for health industry groups seeking 11th hour fixes on Medicare physician payment cuts. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO health care reporter Robert King about possible backup plans for the groups or fixes potentially getting added to other year-end spending bills. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad...