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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 Daniel Payne and Krista Mahr | Presented by Philip Morris International | With Grace Scullion
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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) will become the ranking member of the HELP Committee. | Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | CASSIDY CHARTS COURSE — As the HELP Committee's incoming ranking member for the new Congress, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) is planning a path for the GOP’s agenda on the committee. Cassidy and his staff are still thinking about which issues will be most important and how to address them. But an early vision is already emerging, Grace reports. Crossing the aisle: Cassidy revealed little about where he would seek collaboration with Democrats on bipartisan issues, saying he’s waiting for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), set to lead the committee, to lay out an agenda. In a Wednesday statement announcing his intention to lead the committee, Sanders’ office said he would focus on “universal health care, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, increasing access to higher education, and protecting workers’ rights on the job.” Oversight: Looking to fulfill his party’s promise to investigate the government’s actions around health care, Cassidy said he’s particularly interested in how the HHS operates and spends money. The issue has been of particular interest to Republicans since the wave of pandemic funding has moved through the agency since 2020. Cassidy also noted surprise billing would be a priority in oversight efforts. “HELP passed the Surprise Medical Billing bill,” he told POLITICO. “The administration has not implemented it well. I’d like to have oversight over surprise medical billing.” Drug pricing: Finding more ways to reduce drug prices will be another focus for Cassidy. He noted he had several bills in the past addressing drug pricing, suggesting more could be done outside the laws Democrats passed this year to cut costs. Dyslexia: The Louisiana senator is also interested in addressing dyslexia — an issue close to him and his family. His wife, Laura Cassidy, is president of the board of directors of the Dyslexia Resource Center, and his daughter has dyslexia. “It affects 20 percent of our children, and yet it seems to be something that is ignored too often, almost overwhelmingly when it comes to addressing illiteracy,” he said. WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE, where we’re thinking about the next great cultural issue Congress is tackling: where to get Taylor Swift tickets . Have an extra ticket? What about a tip about what else is happening on the Hill? Drop us a line at dpayne@politico.com and kmahr@politico.com . TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST , Ben Leonard talks with Ruth Reader about why venture capitalists are pulling back on investments in health tech because of recession fears and rising interest rates — threatening a period of stasis in medical innovation.
| | | | | | | 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. | | | | | | | 
A new bill introduced in the Senate aims to increase the number of health care workers who can provide physical and occupational therapy to Medicare Part B beneficiaries. | Scott Olson/Getty Images | LOOKING FOR A PLACE IN THE OMNIBUS — Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) introduced a bill today that would lessen requirements for physical or occupational therapy assistants to work with Medicare Part B beneficiaries. The bill aims to increase the quality of care by allowing therapy assistants to work without a supervisor on-site. Congressional staffers are looking for the policy to find its way into an end-of-year package, a Senate aide told Pulse. WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE COVID PANEL — House Republicans are considering shuttering the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein and Lauren Gardner report. The subcommittee, which Democrats have used to hammer the Trump administration’s response to the pandemic, will have its fate decided by the new GOP majority. Three options are on the table. The first is using the committee to look into the Biden administration’s handling of Covid-19 — something the GOP has promised to do through the next Congress. Another option is shutting the committee down and moving investigations into the pandemic’s handling to the main House Oversight Committee. A third option is similar: ending the current committee and setting up a new one focused on China, which would also probe Covid-19’s origins. The House will continue its Covid-related investigations In any scenario, though their focus and forum may change. “If we keep it, we have to put more Republicans and less Democrats on it,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a top GOP member of the subcommittee, told POLITICO on Thursday. “And whether it’s there or somewhere else, we have to look at all of the things the government told us that were not accurate.” HANDING OVER HELP — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) passed on the option to be the ranking member of the HELP committee and took the top slot on the Homeland Security Committee instead, Lauren reports. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be investigating the Biden administration’s Covid-19 response — he plans on including it in his new role. “Given the committee’s duty to conduct oversight over the entire government, I remain hopeful that we will pursue a robust and bipartisan investigation into the origins of Covid,” Paul said in a tweet announcing his decision. INTEGRATING MENTAL AND PHYSICAL CARE — Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) introduced a bill Thursday that would push for more integration between physical and mental health care. Combining types of care has long been discussed as a strategy to address what many see as a mental health crisis across the country — and this bill would push toward that goal by authorizing the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to support new types of care at hospitals to address the interactions of physical and mental health. PUSHING FOR PASTEUR — More than 160 organizations sent a letter to congressional leadership asking representatives to speed the approval of the PASTEUR Act before year’s end. The bill would fund the pipeline of new drugs that can fight microbes resistant to current ones.
| | | | 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 . | | | | | | | | BECERRA’S DIVIDED-GOVERNMENT PLAN — HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra is looking to implement past legislation with few hopes of future legislative wins in a divided Congress, POLITICO’s Ben Leonard reports. Implementation will touch upon a number of areas. — Medicare’s ability to negotiate drug prices is among the policies in the Inflation Reduction Act that HHS will act to enforce. — The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is another front for administrative action, with $1 billion appropriated to create it. — Long Covid will also be a target as the agency ramps up its research on the syndrome estimated to affect millions. — Payment reform is also on Becerra’s mind. Lawsuits are slowing the agency’s efforts, he said, but moving away from fee-for-service remains a priority.
| | | | A message from Philip Morris International:   | | | | | | TWO MORE YEARS, PLEASE — AARP, the American Heart Association and other groups are asking Congress to extend relaxed Medicare policies for telehealth, Ben writes. In statements to POLITICO, officials from AARP, the AHA, the Arthritis Foundation, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America and the Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action confirmed their advocates are engaged on the issue. An extension is likely, but how long it lasts is up in the air. The Senate Finance Committee is eyeing a one-year addition, while the groups are asking for two.
| | | FIRST IN PULSE: HEALTH SPENDING GROWS BUT SLOWER THAN GDP — A new report out this morning from Altarum, a nonprofit health research group, found that health spending grew in September, year over year — but not as fast as the gross domestic product grew. Other toplines: The cost of care is growing moderately, still well below a slowing inflation rate. Health care job growth is still strong, though the growth in wages for those jobs is moderating.
| | | | STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Our Future Pulse newsletter will continue to bring you the biggest stories at the intersection of technology and healthcare, but now five times a week. Want to know what’s next in health care? Sign up for our Future Pulse newsletter. If you aren’t already subscribed, follow this link to start receiving Future Pulse . | | | | | | | | Elizabeth Cherot is joining the March of Dimes as senior vice president and chief medical and health officer. She most recently served as the chief medical officer for Axia Women’s Health. Former HHS Secretary Alex Azar and former Microsoft CTO Gina Loften are joining the board of directors for Interwell Health, a value-based kidney care company.
| | | The New York Times’ Christina Jewett writes about the growing frustrations around CPAP recalls. The Atlantic’s Katherine J. Wu reports on the possibility of another big Omicron wave. Leana S. Wen writes in The Washington Post’s Opinion section that Chiquita Brooks-LaSure could be the key to Biden’s future success.
| | | | 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.
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