|
Presented by PhRMA: Delivered daily by 10 a.m., Pulse examines the latest news in health care politics and policy. | | | | | |  | | By Rachel Roubein | Presented by |  | | | With Susannah Luthi, Alice Miranda Ollstein and Daniel Lippman Editor’s Note: POLITICO Pulse is a free version of POLITICO Pro Health Care's morning newsletter, which is delivered to our s each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day’s biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.
| | | — CDC chief Rochelle Walensky is trying to rebuild both her agency’s morale and its reputation. — Senate Republicans are gearing up to draw out the final passage of President Joe Biden’s massive coronavirus stimulus bill. — Democrats delivered health industry-friendly reforms in the relief bill, raising concerns from policy analysts who want to clamp down on ballooning health care costs. TGIF and you’re reading PULSE, where we know one of life’s biggest birthdays is the now-you-qualify-for-Medicare birthday — which is exactly the one your guest author's mom is celebrating today. Let your PULSE host know the best place to get sweet treats — and tip your regular author, acancryn@politico.com. | | | | A message from PhRMA: As we usher in a new Congress and new administration, we can all agree that people need quality, affordable health coverage that works when they need it. We are focused on solutions that help patients better afford their medicines and protect access to innovation today and in the future. | | |
| | | THE CDC DIRECTOR’S UPHILL BATTLE — Walensky has shown she isn’t afraid to speak bluntly to the American people. In her first week directing the CDC, she warned that Covid-19 could kill 100,000 people in the next month, a difficult truth for a weary public to hear. But she’s also tasked with rallying CDC scientists — and convincing Americans to trust them — after the agency was ignored and smothered by the Trump administration, POLITICO’s Erin Banco reports. — Inside the agency, Walensky plans to engage with career scientists and promote their work. Three officials who met with her said she spent most of their time together asking questions to better understand how each of the agency’s dozens of departments function and what support they need. — In private White House briefings, two senior officials told Erin, Walensky has at times spoken up about policy recommendations she disagrees with. “She is definitely not afraid to speak her mind,” one of those officials said. The CDC has also struggled to streamline and coordinate its messaging on Covid-19 guidelines for everything from school reopening to travel. Walensky hasn’t yet laid out her vision for the agency’s response to the coronavirus and beyond, which has worried CDC and other federal health officials who are concerned the agency will again be beholden to the White House But her allies say she’s a perfect fit for the job. And she has the endorsement of the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci, who said he “strongly recommended” her for the position. A WEEKEND SLOG THROUGH THE SENATE — Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill inched closer to passage Thursday, after Senate Democrats muscled through the votes to begin considering the package. Now, Senate Republicans are using procedural tools to set up a grueling debate likely to carry the partisan fight into the weekend, POLITICO’s Burgess Everett, Marianne LeVine and Caitlin Emma report. What’s happening: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) quickly forced the Senate clerk to read all 628 pages of the bill outloud, causing the Senate to empty out (the reading finished around 2 a.m. this morning and took about 10 hours and 43 minutes). The GOP can use up to 20 hours of debate time, and then force votes on dozens of amendments in quick succession. For instance: Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) wants a vote on an amendment to gut several provisions, such as the expansion of Obamacare subsidies. The timeline: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed that the Senate would stay in session to pass the bill, which could hand Biden his first piece of major legislation as soon as this weekend.
| | | | DON'T MISS "THE RECAST": Power dynamics are changing. "Influence" is changing. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is our new, twice-weekly newsletter that breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics, policy, and power in America. And POLITICO is recasting how we report on this crucial intersection, bringing you fresh insights, scoops and dispatches from across the country, and new voices that challenge "business as usual." Don't miss out on this important new newsletter, SUBSCRIBE NOW. Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | | DEMOCRATS DELIVER REFORMS FRIENDLY TO THE HEALTH INDUSTRY: NOW WHAT? — The stimulus plan will temporarily tick big-ticket items off of Democrats’ Obamacare expansion wish list, POLITICO’s Susannah Luthi reports. But some of those moves will be expensive and won’t offer big gains in coverage, and they’re raising fresh doubts over whether the party will touch what’s quickly becoming a third rail in health care politics: the price tag. By the numbers, after the Senate’s revisions: — The bill’s temporary Obamacare subsidies would clock in at close to $35 billion, according to congressional budget scorers, who also projected the money will add just 1.7 million more people to the health exchanges. — Subsidies for job-based health insurance for laid-off workers would cost roughly $23 billion through September alone, now that Democrats have moved to pay 100 percent of premiums for extended workplace insurance for the newly jobless. Conservative and progressive health policy analysts have shared similar criticisms of the package: that Democrats have written a bill that insurers and providers will love, without including measures to contain ballooning health care costs — and are showing no signs they’ll focus on savings in the future. Critics of the bill’s health care provisions say that further subsidizing private insurers is an expensive and inefficient way to expand health care coverage, and one that makes it hard to crack down on costs later. “It’s not just kicking the can down the road, it’s rolling the snowball down the road where the snowball gets bigger and bigger,” said Benedic Ippolito of the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute. — A senior Democratic aide pushed back on the criticisms, arguing that the moves won’t make cost controls harder. Rather, they’re “just very straightforward ways to lower health coverage costs for people ASAP.” And, the staffer, stressed, Democrats have plans for serious drug pricing reforms. BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE COBRA BUMP — The House-passed version of the coronavirus stimulus bill covered 85 percent of the health insurance premiums of laid-off workers. But privately, several senators, led by Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, lobbied the White House and Democratic leadership to bump the COBRA subsidy up to 100 percent in the chamber’s version of the bill, POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. — The policy has been a top priority for Nevada’s congressional delegation, given the state’s reliance on the hospitality sector and the high number of hotel and food service workers laid off during the pandemic, and unions, such as the AFL-CIO, AFSCME and UNITE Here, have been pushing for it. Why it matters: Democrats can’t afford to lose a single vote on the coronavirus stimulus bill, giving senators even greater leverage to push priorities that their constituents want. | | | |   | | | | | | LAURA KEEHNER RIGAS is now senior reputation strategist for public affairs and value access at Syneos Health, POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman reports. She most recently was principal deputy director of the office of intergovernmental and external affairs at HHS. Two former HHS officials join Todd Strategy Group. NICK UEHLECKE, who was most recently a senior adviser to then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar, has joined as a principal. MARIS PADEN will be an associate at the group; she was most recently a special assistant in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Legislation at HHS, Caitlin Oprysko and Daniel Lippman reported for POLITICO Influence. ADAM BUCKALEW, a Hill veteran, is launching a strategic advising firm, alb solutions, which will largely focus on health care, our Influence colleagues report. Buckalew most recently served as deputy health policy director for former GOP HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), and also worked as deputy chief health counsel for then-House Energy and Commerce Chair Greg. Walden (R-Ore.).
| | | | For regulatory affairs professionals: AgencyIQ FDA Forecast 2021. In its inaugural year, AgencyIQ’s FDA Forecast predicts the FDA regulatory changes coming in 2021 and how they will impact the life sciences industry. Follow this link to learn more and download the summary. | | | | |
| | | Doctors are still discovering new symptoms of Covid-19 more than a year into the pandemic, Vox’s Umair Irfan reports. New research warns that popular temperature-scanning devices may be dangerously ineffective, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell reports. A startup in Los Angeles is building injectable robots designed to attack cancerous tumors, writes the Los Angeles Times’ Sam Dean. | | | | A message from PhRMA: Despite our divisions, there are many things on which Americans agree. The biopharmaceutical industry is committed to working with Congress and the new administration to:
• End the pandemic. The industry remains committed to getting COVID-19 treatments and vaccines to patients, and we are working closely with governments, insurers and others to make sure they are accessible and affordable.
• Make health care better and more affordable. People want quality, affordable health coverage that works when they need it. We support solutions that will help patients better afford their medicines and protect access to innovation today and in the future.
• Build a more just, equitable society. We must address systemic racism, as has been made clear by the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others and the outsized impact of the pandemic on Black and Brown communities. We remain committed to this important issue on behalf of our communities, the patients we serve and our employees. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
