POLITICO's Pulse Check

Many Republicans in the U.S. point to European policies when pushing to restrict gender-affirming care for minors, but the view on the other side of The Atlantic is more nuanced than portrayed. Host Kelly Hooper talks with Kaja Klapsa, a former POLITICO fellow and a reporter for the German newspaper Die WELT, who sorts out the details.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adcho...

Lawmakers have proposed legislation that could cost hospitals billions. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO reporter Megan R. Wilson about what’s in the bills and why hospitals, despite their clout on Capitol Hill, are facing a tough fight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The number of cases in The Big Apple is on pace to hit the city's highest levels in more than a decade. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO New York health care reporter Maya Kaufman about the rise in infections and the implications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A 3-day strike by nearly 75,000 nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and other health care workers at Kaiser Permanente facilities in California, Colorado, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington state began Wednesday. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO’s labor reporter Nick Niedzwiadek about what the workers want and the strike's impact on the health care system.             Learn more...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is about to embark on monumental drug price negotiations, and one of its first steps will be to host patient listening sessions. Host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO reporter Robert King about the sessions, designed to gather patient input on the first 10 drugs selected for price negotiation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc...

A continuing resolution will keep the federal government open through Nov. 17. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO reporter Ben Leonard about what happens to health care agencies and programs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Congressional Budget Office released a report showing that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, created under Obamacare to test new ways to pay for health care, will increase federal spending rather than reducing it. In 2010, CBO projected CMMI would reduce spending by $2.8 billion over 10 years, but current estimates show it increasing $1.3 billion from 2021 to 2030. Host Ben Leon...

Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO health care reporter Daniel Payne about key takeaways from POLITICO’s “Mission Update: Inside the Cancer Moonshot” live event.       Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration has not reversed a Trump-era rule pushing a type of insurance plan that can save employers money but not necessarily employees. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO health care reporter Kelly Hooper about why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American Medical Association’s shift on social issues has strained its ties to the GOP, risking influence on health care policy. Host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO health care reporter Daniel Payne about the growing divide between the influential doctors group and Republicans.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hospitals are seeing a rise in uncompensated care as millions lose Medicaid coverage after redetermination resumed, according to new data. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO health care reporter Ben Leonard about what that could mean for hospitals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A growing shortage of primary care physicians paired with an influx of nurse practitioners and physician assistants is rapidly changing who provides Americans health care. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO reporter Erin Schumaker about what’s driving this shift and what it means for patients.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Former president Donald Trump’s zigzagging on abortion policy is causing turmoil within the anti-abortion movement and shaking up the dynamics of the GOP presidential primary. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO reporter Sally Goldenberg about the fallout.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Katherine Ellen Foley and health care reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein discuss key takeaways from POLITICO’s “Transforming Health Care: Site-Neutral Payments & Billing Transparency” live event.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

YouTube wants to become an authority on medical information. Host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO reporter Erin Schumaker about plans by the online video sharing and social media platform to do that.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new CDC director is working to regain public confidence in the agency following the Covid-19 pandemic. Host Ben Leonard talks with POLITICO health care reporter Chelsea Cirruzzo about the agency's plans to improve communication and transparency.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration has proposed new rules aimed at making health insurers comply with a 2008 law requiring them to offer mental health care on the same terms as physical health. Insurers say they’re trying, but workforce shortages stand in the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The former president is among a group of establishment Republicans working to convince anti-abortion groups and conservatives to support reauthorizing the global HIV/AIDS program. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO global health care reporter Carmen Paun about the last-ditch effort.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Affordable Care Act created health insurance co-ops to spur competition. Most have been very public failures, but three managed to survive. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO cannabis editor Paul Demko about the strategies employed by these surviving co-ops and how their example might help improve health care access.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

Deadly heat is expanding across the hottest parts of the globe, and large swaths will face conditions that test the limits of human survival, according to a new study. Host Daniel Payne talks with E&E’s climate science reporter Chelsea Harvey about the study’s implications for policymakers and public health.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Republican leaders have unveiled a new health care package focused on boosting transparency and addressing high drug costs. Host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO health care reporter Ben Leonard about what's in the package. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As millions lose Medicaid coverage, states are taking steps to prevent consumers from purchasing junk health insurance plans that offer limited benefits. Robert King talks with POLITICO health care reporter Kelly Hooper about state efforts to curb misleading health insurance marketing as consumers seek new coverage.             Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With personal U.S. medical debt at alarming levels, state legislators in more than a dozen states have enacted consumer protections to address the issue. Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with POLITICO deputy health care editor Dan Goldberg about the growing crisis.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Congress considers bipartisan reforms to increase regulation of pharmacy benefit managers, advocates are pushing to maintain momentum. Katherine Ellen Foley talks with POLITICO reporter Megan R. Wilson about the debate over PBM reforms and the timeline for potential legislative action.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congress could miss the September 30 deadline to reauthorize PEPFAR, a law governing U.S. global HIV/AIDS relief, because of abortion disputes, threatening the program’s future. Daniel Payne talks with POLITICO health care reporter Alice Miranda Ollstein about the potential cuts to the program if Congress can’t reach an agreement by the end of the year.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...