POLITICO's Pulse Check

Aaron Carroll is making a play to be America’s doctor, or at least the physician we need to bust medical myths. The pediatrician from Indianapolis is a best-selling author of medical advice books, a featured writer in the New York Times, and even a YouTube celebrity, with more than 250,000 subscribers to his channel. So how did he do it? In a bonus episode of PULSE CHECK, Aaron joins POLITICO’s Da...

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The Washington conversation has been focused on the fate of the ACA and whether insurers are planning to stick around. So for this episode of PULSE CHECK, we took the conversation outside the Beltway to hear from Mario Schlosser, CEO of Oscar Health — the insurance startup that’s gotten a lot of buzz and is heading into more Obamacare markets this year. Mario caught up with POLITICO’s Dan Diamond...

Every shortlist of health care power players includes Bernard J. Tyson, head of Kaiser Permanente. (Modern Healthcare this summer ranked him the fourth most influential person, after Sens. Collins, McCain and Murkowski.) So how does this prominent figure see the industry, and what's he telling Congress? Bernard caught up with POLITICO’s Dan Diamond last week to discuss the whirlwind around ACA rep...

The political fights over U.S. health policy often pale next to the world's health care challenges — and Sue Desmond-Hellmann would know. The doctor-turned-CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is on the front lines of the global public health battle, as her organization tackles challenges like eradicating polio and preventing maternal and newborn deaths. Sue caught up with POLITICO’s Dan Dia...

Here’s how fast things are moving in health care: Mike Leavitt, who ran HHS under President George W. Bush, came to Washington 10 days ago to testify about the need for bipartisan health reforms — and since that day, when he sat down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond, the Senate’s bipartisan health push has collapsed and the GOP’s latest Obamacare repeal bill is on life support. Although the conversatio...

Progressives have spent 2017 rethinking, regrouping and — in some cases — re-litigating what it means to be a Democrat after last year's shocking presidential loss. And two health care issues, abortion rights and single-payer, have been at the center of this year's party debates. One person leading those conversations is Ilyse Hogue, head of NARAL Pro-Choice America, who joined POLITICO's Dan Diam...

PULSE CHECK is back from August recess with a closer look at how health care politics and policy can influence spending — and sometimes not for the better. But first, Jen Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn rejoin PULSE CHECK to discuss the competing approaches to Obamacare in the Senate, whether either plan has a chance at succeeding, and if the GOP still wants to fight to repeal the law (starts at the 1:...

Kathleen Sebelius, the former HHS secretary who oversaw the rollout of Obamacare, is worried that HHS’s current leaders are steering the ACA the wrong direction. "They have done a lot to sabotage the health care law," Sebelius told POLITICO’s Dan Diamond. The former HHS secretary shares her thoughts on the current administration’s strategy, what she thinks HHS should be prioritizing and what’s bee...

Andy Slavitt has been busy: Since leaving office in January, the man who ran Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA has mounted a whirlwind defense of Obamacare, holding town halls coast to coast and being ever-present on social media. And in a repeat podcast appearance, Slavitt rejoins POLITICO's Dan Diamond to explain his strategy — and what this year has been like as his profile exploded. Andy discusse...

The central fight over the ACA has (for now) moved from Congress to the White House, where President Donald Trump is debating whether to yank key payments for insurers. But some senators are hinting that a bipartisan compromise on Obamacare is coming — as long as Trump doesn’t blow up their efforts, that is. First, POLITICO’s Jennifer Haberkorn and Paul Demko join Dan Diamond to talk about what's...

The Senate GOP is pushing forward with plans to roll back all or part of the Affordable Care Act, threatening insurance coverage for millions of Americans. A devastating moment for progressives? Not at all, says Ben Wikler, the Washington director for MoveOn.org, who argues that the drawn-out fight to repeal the ACA has turned into a major win. Wikler joined PULSE CHECK to talk about activism in t...

The nation heard from President Donald Trump on Wednesday, who again urged Republicans to repeal the ACA. Congress continues to loudly battle over the law, and governors have spoken out too. But one voice that’s been largely ignored: Local health leaders. And on this episode of PULSE CHECK, two big city health commissioners — New York City commissioner Mary Bassett and Chicago commissioner Julie M...

Meet the new bill — mostly the same as the old bill. Senate Republicans released their revised health care legislation this week, and while Sen. Ted Cruz is now firmly onboard, many moderate senators remain publicly uncommitted. And it's possible the bill could fail — again — next week. A team of POLITICO reporters break down what happened and what's next. First, Jen Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn rej...

Even Republican senators say their health care bill is "dead." But their effort to repeal and replace the ACA is far from over — and the GOP is preparing to unveil a revised bill and sprint to pass it across July. POLITICO’s Adam Cancryn and Jennifer Haberkorn join Dan Diamond to discuss where Republicans stand after their rough recess (starts at the 1:30 mark), Adam’s reporting trip to cover hold...

Republicans' health care push continues to grip the Capitol and keep the industry on high alert. On this episode of PULSE CHECK, we review how that effort is unfolding in D.C. but also in Ohio, in a sit-down interview with one of America's most powerful health care leaders. First, POLITICO's Jen Haberkorn joins Dan Diamond to discuss her reporting on the latest twists and turns in the GOP health c...

It's a big week in health care, and POLITICO's reporters are here to help you sort through it. In a bonus episode of PULSE CHECK, senior reporter Jennifer Haberkorn joined Dan Diamond to discuss what to expect this week (starts at the 1:40 mark), the procedural hurdles that Republicans need to jump through (3:30), other possible turning points (14:30), a rundown of where key GOP senators stand (16...

The Senate health bill is here, and Neera Tanden is furious. Neera's a major figure in Democratic politics: She's the head of the liberal Center for American Progress, a former Obama administration staffer — and someone who was heavily favored to be HHS Secretary in a prospective Clinton administration. Neera joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss Republicans' health care process (starts at the...

President Donald Trump reportedly bashed the House health bill as “mean, mean, mean." But will the Senate's version be any better? And what do experts want senators to know as they finalize their bill? On this episode of PULSE CHECK, Dan Diamond talks with two people with very different perspectives — and significant concerns — as changes to the health system loom in Congress. First, Diane Rowland...

The Senate is driving forward on its health care bill, with a vote looming as soon as late June — even though it's still not clear what's in the bill or if they'll have the votes. How should you think about the Senate's push? Rodney Whitlock — who was health care adviser to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley — joins POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss the dynamics of the Senate and what's at stake in th...

There aren’t many health care executives like Jonathan Bush — the outspoken CEO of Athenahealth, a health IT company. (Frankly, there aren’t many executives like Bush anywhere; he seems to ruffle feathers with every interview.) Bush sat down with POLITICO’s Dan Diamond to discuss the health IT landscape, what Washington gets wrong about the industry and why — despite his famous political family — ...

Republicans’ health care legislation continues to lurch forward, with the Congressional Budget Office this week again predicting the bill will lead to 20-million-plus more uninsured in a decade. On this episode of PULSE CHECK, we discuss how the CBO score is playing in Washington and what’s ahead for the unpopular bill. First, POLITICO’s Jen Haberkorn and Paul Demko discuss their reporting from Ca...

How does a major media outlet decide how much to cover Republicans’ health bill when Russia’s the talk of the town? Carrie Budoff Brown would know — she’s the editor of POLITICO and was one of the top reporters covering the health care debate in 2009-2010. Carrie joined Dan Diamond on PULSE CHECK to discuss how the current health care fight compares to Democrats’ battles eight years ago, where Rep...

The Affordable Care Act has polled poorly for years — but Republicans’ health bill is polling even worse. What does it mean for the GOP to have such an unpopular bill, and how can progressives take advantage of it? On this PULSE CHECK, you’ll hear from two experts in political messaging and strategy. First, Jon Favreau, who was the chief speechwriter for President Obama and is a cofounder of Crook...

The Republican plan to repeal Obamacare has made it through the House. What are its chances in the Senate, and what's the ripple effect for the industry? That's the focus of this week's PULSE CHECK, with a mix of news analysis and a guest who may have lost his job because of his pro-Obamacare advocacy. First, POLITICO's Jen Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn join Dan Diamond to discuss their reporting abo...