POLITICO's Pulse Check

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

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

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 p...

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. Learn more about your...

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

President Joe Biden wants to ban TikTok, or force its sale, for fear that the Chinese government is using it to collect data about Americans. While members of the House Energy and Commerce were interested in national security threats, they expressed equal concern about what they see as the site’s corrupting influence on young people. Ruth Reader talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about TikTok C...

Flaws in CDC data led it to overstate how many people received Covid shots, according to a new report by the Covid States Project, a collaboration of researchers from Northeastern, Harvard, Rutgers and Northwestern universities. Krista Mahr talks with host Ruth Reader about the data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ decadeslong campaign against what he calls the “greed” of the pharmaceutical industry will take center stage today when Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel defends his company’s plan to sharply raise the price of its Covid-19 vaccine when broad government purchases stop. David Lim talks with host Megan Messerly about what to expect during the hearing. Learn more about your ad choices....

After years of anticipation, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state would contract with Civica, a Utah-based generic pharmaceutical company, to start producing California-branded insulin, available for $30 for a 10 mL vial. Once the Food and Drug Administration approves the new insulin, Civica can begin manufacturing. Reporter Rachel Bluth talks with host Ben Leonard about about the deal. Lea...

GOP lawmakers are making a play to head off abortion ballot measures. While the bills vary in wording, they would have the same impact: making it harder for voters to undo the abortion restrictions that lawmakers were finally allowed to put in place after 50 years under Roe v. Wade. Megan Messerly talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about the states she's tracking. Learn more about your ad choic...

Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said Wednesday that the VA should renegotiate its contract with Oracle Cerner, the vendor managing a mistake-ridden electronic health records system at VA medical centers. Ben Leonard talks with host Alice Miranda Ollstein about fixing the VA's electronic health records. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

The number of maternal deaths shot up nearly 40 percent in the U.S. in 2021, according to CDC data released Thursday, cementing America’s status as one of the most dangerous wealthy nations to be pregnant and give birth. Krista Mahr talks with host Ben Leonard about the stark rise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

 The Veterans Health Administration announced earlier this week that it will cover Leqembi, a new Alzheimer’s drug that appears to slow the disease’s progression. Host Megan Messerly talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about why the VHA’s decision differs from other federal agencies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Silicon Valley Bank had many health care and biotech startups among its client base. Now, the bank’s failure last Friday is raising questions about how much this could hurt emerging health companies. Host Ruth Reader talks with Michael Yang, a managing partner with OMERS Ventures, a global early-stage technology venture firm, to get the industry’s read. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...

The Senate passed Marco Rubio’s bill making daylight saving time permanent unanimously last year, but it's since stalled in the House. Erin Schumaker talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about past efforts to make daylight saving time permanent and why many scientists oppose it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Quality-adjusted life years — or QALYs — is a tool designed to help measure the cost effectiveness of drugs and other medical treatments. But detractors say the statistic discriminates against people with disabilities by undervaluing how much treatments help them. Ben Leonard talks with host Carmen Paun about the debate over the use of the statistic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megapho...

President Joe Biden is not expected to seek significant new Covid funding as part of his forthcoming budget proposal, the latest sign that the White House is preparing to wind down its emergency response operation later this year. Adam Cancryn talks with host Ruth Reader about the most notable health care priorities in the budget. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the first year and a half of the pandemic, a handful of small companies developing next-generation Covid-19 vaccines hired lobbyists in hopes of winning contracts to fund research, manufacturing and testing. Megan R. Wilson talks with host Ben Leonard about why, nearly three years in, many have abandoned their Washington, D.C., footprint. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm...

The nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain confirmed last week that it will not sell an abortion pill in 20 states after threats of legal action — including several states where they remain legal. Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with host Megan Messerly about what influenced Walgreens' decision. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Biden administration is implementing a new law that makes it easier for doctors to prescribe a lifesaving drug — buprenorphine — to treat opioid use disorder, but one of its agencies, the Drug Enforcement Administration, subjects the drug to such strict regulation that many are reluctant to dispense it. Krista Mahr talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about the paradox and what’s ahead. Learn...

The Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with online therapy company BetterHelp over allegations it shared customers’ sensitive health data with third parties. Ruth Reader talks to host Krista Mahr about what we know about the deal and why it's another health data warning shot from the FTC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Congressional Republicans are anxious to use new Covid-19 lab leak reports to lash out at the ruling Chinese Communist Party and paint President Joe Biden’s administration as soft on Beijing. But they have reached little consensus on how exactly to do that. Alice Miranda Ollstein talks with host Ruth Reader about the spectrum of responses we've seen and what's next. Learn more about your ad choice...

The “medical freedom” movement, mostly known for its opposition to vaccine requirements, was long consigned to the fringes of libertarian and left-wing politics. Then came Ron DeSantis. Krista Mahr and host Megan Messerly talk about how the Florida governor is influencing GOP lawmakers across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden is giving states a year to check whether millions of low-income Americans are still eligible to receive health insurance through their government’s Medicaid program. Arkansas plans to do it in half that time. Megan Messerly talks with host Alice Miranda Ollstein about what could be in store for Medicaid in Arkansas and other states. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap...

You’ve likely heard the term social determinants of health used to describe how nonmedical factors like education, socioeconomic status or zip code can improve or worsen health. Erin Schumaker talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about research presented at a recent panel at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on the science of sleep, and how the social determinants of sleep cut along racia...