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Presented by Philip Morris International: Delivered daily by 10 a.m., Pulse examines the latest news in health care politics and policy. | | | | |  | | By Krista Mahr and Daniel Payne | Presented by Philip Morris International | With help from Alice Miranda Ollstein
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Two new studies make a good case for vaccines and masking in schools. | AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews | MITIGATION WORKS — The nation’s pediatric beds are filling up with respiratory syncytial virus and flu patients. Classrooms in hard-hit parts of the country have more and more empty desks. And Covid-19 cases are beginning to slowly tick up again, as the new dominant variants demonstrate their ability to evade our natural and vaccine immunity. Now, it’s very hard to imagine a circumstance under which public schools decide to close down again, given the balance of what we know about the impact on children’s mental health and learning abilities and how little most Americans worry about the virus these days. But two new studies offer compelling new views into how two basic mitigation measures — vaccination and masking — could keep students and their families dramatically safer if a winter surge materializes. Authors of a study published today by the Commonwealth Fund found that if 80 percent of the eligible U.S. population got the Covid-19 bivalent booster, it could prevent nearly 51,000 pediatric hospitalizations and more than 28 million lost school days for kids ages 5 to 17 between October and March. Separately, a study published last week in The New England Journal of Medicine found that school districts in the greater Boston area that kept universal masking requirements last year saw significantly fewer Covid-19 cases than their regional counterparts that lifted the mandates. But: Data or no, the prospects for either measure swinging into full action amid a new surge look dim. On Monday, the Biden administration launched a fresh push to encourage Americans to get boosted before Thanksgiving, but so far just over 10 percent of eligible Americans have received the updated booster, according to the CDC . The Biden administration warns that it won’t be able to buy more Covid vaccines after mid-January. On Monday, the GOP again threw cold water on the idea of approving more Covid funding, Alice reports. And while the CDC recommends universal masking in classrooms when Covid community levels are high, during this summer’s rise in cases, very few school districts introduced mask mandates, according to school tracking site Burbio . WELCOME TO TUESDAY PULSE — New research suggests cows that eat hemp appear to get stoned. Some groups are urging the FDA to approve hemp as an animal feed, but the agency has yet to do so. Send your thoughts on THC in the milk supply, news and tips to kmahr@politico.com and dpayne@politico.com . TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, Megan Messerly talks with Grace Scullion about the military’s Covid-19 vaccine requirement, which could end if Republican senators succeed in amending the National Defense Authorization Act that’s expected to be taken up in the coming weeks. Plus, Carmen Paun discusses the U.N.'s recognition of a huge milestone: The earth’s population now totals 8 billion.
| | | | | | | A message from Philip Morris International: Everyone wants a world without cigarettes—but it will take our collective action. Philip Morris International is doing its part. Now, we need others to step up too. It’s not enough to wait for smokers to stop on their own. We have to do everything possible to help those adults who would otherwise continue smoking move away from cigarettes for good. Join us. | | | | | | | 
Kentucky voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have removed any protection for abortion rights. | Bruce Schreiner/AP Photo | KENTUCKY COURT WEIGHS ABORTION LAWS — The Kentucky Supreme Court is holding oral arguments today on the fate of the state’s near-total abortion ban. The case’s outcome could clear the way for clinics in the deep-red state to resume providing abortions up to 21 weeks of pregnancy, Alice reports. Last week, Kentucky voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have removed any protection for abortion rights, which was placed on the ballot by the GOP-controlled legislature. That win sets up the ACLU to make the case today that the state constitution’s existing language around privacy extends to abortion rights — an argument a lower court has already endorsed. Shortly after the vote, the state’s GOP attorney general Daniel Cameron filed a brief to the court, arguing that the voters’ rejection of the amendment “has no bearing on whether the Court should create a Kentucky Roe v. Wade.” He added: “Maybe some Kentuckians were misled into believing — wrongly — that Amendment 2 would have prohibited all abortions.” Nearly all abortions are currently prohibited in the state, and passing the constitutional amendment would have cemented the bans in place.
| | | | A message from Philip Morris International:   | | | | | | NEW BILL SEEKS TO REDUCE FDA TIME LAG — Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), GOP leader of the Energy and Commerce Committee, will reintroduce the Pre-approval Information Exchange Act today, a bill that seeks to reduce the amount of time between the FDA approving a drug or medical device and the FDA-approved innovation being covered by a payor. The bill would allow drug or medical device firms to share certain information with payors about investigative products before the FDA approves the products. Guthrie will be joined by Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Morgan Griffith (R-Va.), Scott Peters (D-Calif.), Michael Burgess. (R-Texas) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) in introducing the bill. GROUPS CALL ON CONGRESS TO STRENGTHEN SAFETY NET — A coalition of dozens of organizations is calling on Congressional leadership today to strengthen the health safety net through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program as part of lawmakers’ end-of-year legislative package. In a letter sent today, the coalition is asking for lawmakers to include the mandatory, permanent extension of Medicaid coverage to 12 months postpartum, prioritize the maternal health provisions from the House-passed version of H.R. 5376, provide additional Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico and the U.S. territories, ensure continuous eligibility for individuals eligible for CHIP or Medicaid, permanently fund CHIP, streamline enrollment through Express Lane Eligibility and pass the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. On Monday, a separate group of six health organizations sent a letter to Senate leaders, also calling on lawmakers to bolster Medicaid and CHIP in the year-end package by allowing children nationwide to remain enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP for 12 months, providing permanent funding for CHIP, providing nationwide and permanent 12-month postpartum coverage in Medicaid and CHIP and including the policies found in the Medicaid Reentry Act.
| | | FIRST IN PULSE — Diabetes advocates, clinicians and other stakeholders will testify at an open meeting with the medical directors of Medicare Administrative Contractors to discuss proposed changes to Medicare’s coverage of continuous glucose monitoring devices. In a statement shared exclusively with Pulse, Stewart Perry, co-founder of the Diabetes Leadership Council, emphasized the need to “prioritize what is best for the patient and to keep things simple for them” in relation to CGM coverage. To do that, he recommended three changes to the proposed local coverage determination for CGMs: align the billing cycles for CGMs and insulin pumps and other covered technology, give Medicare beneficiaries access to any type of insulin and clarify “that the original CGM prescription takes precedence over other conditions for which a CGM may not be intended or primarily intended.”
| | | | GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is featuring a special edition of our “Future Pulse” newsletter at the 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from Dec. 6 to 8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest global health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE . | | | | | | | | TURNS OUT YOU CAN BUY HEALTHINESS — A new study published Monday in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues found that Americans with high levels of financial literacy, access and education are healthier than those with lower levels. Health was measured by five metrics: life satisfaction, self-rated health, depression, feelings of being worn out and overall happiness. The study also found that male, college-educated, married, employed and insured participants had high levels of financial capability. Nonwhite participants, including Black and Hispanic Americans, had lower levels of financial capability than white participants.
| | | Miles Lichtman is now the health policy director for the House Oversight Committee. Previously deputy health policy director, he will lead the Democratic staff's investigative and legislative work on health care matters. Families USA has appointed Yael Lehmann as its new senior director of strategic partnerships.
| | | | A message from Philip Morris International: Today, anti-tobacco activists, public health leaders, and policymakers have an opportunity to do something real, practical, and grounded in science to help millions of smokers stop smoking and significantly improve public health.
There’s no doubt that the best choice for anyone who smokes is to quit tobacco and nicotine completely. However, we also know that many won’t, and these adults deserve access to better alternatives to continued smoking.
For more than a decade, Philip Morris International has been working to achieve a smoke-free future. To date, we’ve invested over $9 billion in researching, developing, and commercializing smoke-free alternatives to cigarettes. Around 30% of our total net revenues now come from these products, showing that change can happen.
Everyone wants a world without cigarettes—but it will take our collective action. We must help those adults who would otherwise continue smoking move away from cigarettes for good.
Learn more | | | | | | The Washington Post reports that the Biden administration plans to ask for more Covid-19 funding before the year’s end. KHN reports how thousands of experts hired by the CDC Foundation to help fill gaps in the public health infrastructure during the pandemic may soon be out of work. The New York Times dives deep into the debate over the long-term health effects of puberty blockers.
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