POLITICO's Pulse Check

Thousands of community health workers face layoffs as federal funding tied to the Covid pandemic dries up. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Daniel Payne about why many public health officials would like to keep this workforce to tackle other health challenges, like diabetes and obesity. They’re making the case to Congress that it would be foolish to let community health workers go after spend...

Planned Parenthood and partner organizations are launching an effort to put abortion on Florida’s ballot in 2024, setting the stage for a high-profile battle with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as he prepares to run for president. Host Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with Megan Messerly about what this could mean for the 6-week ban DeSantis recently signed into law and the political implications in the...

A talker at this week's Milken Institute Global Conference in LA was a pitch from former NIH director Francis Collins to fund eight to 10 genomics centers in Africa for $130 million a year.  Carmen Paun talked with host Ruth Reader about the "business plan" put forth by Collins, a current White House adviser, on how the African genomics centers could help advance global pandemic preparedness, vacc...

The CDC reports that more Black Americans died from fentanyl overdoses than from any other drug in 2021 and at far higher rates than white or Hispanic Americans. Host Megan Messerly talks with Krista Mahr about how the pandemic, health inequities, discriminatory health policies and other factors have contributed to the rise in overdose deaths in Black communities. Learn more about your ad choices....

The next few weeks on Capitol Hill could prove pivotal for efforts in this Congress to lower health care costs, including increased access to cheaper generic drugs. Host Ben Leonard talks with Megan R. Wilson about the legislative proposals in the House and Senate that have bipartisan support. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) plans to propose Senate legislation soon to give Medicare patients permanent access to virtual care. Host Ruth Reader talks with Ben Leonard about what's in the Schatz bill, and what's not, as well as where things stand with a Drug Enforcement Administration regulation that could simultaneously curtail telemedicine access to some drugs. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...

The Senate HELP committee announced earlier this week that it will consider a set of bills next week aimed at enhancing access to generic drugs and medications for rare diseases. The package also includes a 91-page bill targeting pharmacy benefit managers and their business practices — likely to bring ire from the industry. Megan R. Wilson talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about the bills unde...

Hospitals want an exemption from a Federal Trade Commission proposal to ban noncompete agreements, saying it would wreak havoc on their finances and harm patients. Erin Schumaker talks with host Megan Messerly about the potential consequences for patients, doctorsand investors if a ban on noncompetes should take effect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As lawmakers push for banning gender-affirming care in their states, the effects are felt by doctors in states where the care is legal. As a result, physicians who provide such care to transgender adolescents say they have been threatened. Megan Messerly talks with host Ben Leonard about the far-reaching effects on doctors and minors nationwide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

A bipartisan group of representatives has introduced legislation to move more care from the hospital to the home. They say it’s a win-win that will both give patients what they want and shore up Medicare’s teetering finances. Host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Ben Leonard about what’s in the bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.  Learn more about...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...

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. Learn more...

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. Learn more...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Miran...