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Presented by PhRMA: Delivered daily by 10 a.m., Pulse examines the latest news in health care politics and policy. | | | | |  | | By Erin Schumaker and Daniel Payne | | | With Robert King, Megan R. Wilson and Katherine Ellen Foley
| | |  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is no longer against cutting NIH's funding and says the agency needs a substantial overhaul. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | AN ABOUT-FACE — House Republicans have levied a blow against the National Institutes of Health, proposing a $3.8 billion cut to the agency’s budget — worrying scientists and researchers, who fear cuts could stifle innovation and have a chilling effect on science. A striking example of the GOP’s waning support for the agency: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. That was then. As a longtime champion of the NIH, Gingrich pushed to double its funding during his speakership in the late 1990s. And as of 2015, he was still advocating for the health-research agency, writing in an op-ed that it would be “irresponsible and shortsighted" to let the NIH’s funding dwindle. These days, he supports the House’s proposed NIH budget cuts. “It’s gone from being a sort of manageable system to a system that clearly is out of control,” Gingrich told Erin. “It deserves a substantial overhaul. And I don’t mind putting some financial pressure on it to start getting that overhaul. I don’t think we have an obligation to just continue to throw money at something.” A messaging measure. But instead of a sign that Republicans have turned sour on the NIH, the bill could be meant to send a message. “I think that NIH is going to remain a bipartisan priority and that the champions are still strong," Ellie Dehoney, senior vice president at Research!America, a research advocacy organization, told Erin. “This was actually a post-pandemic wave of anger more than a change in direction.” Big picture: It’s highly unlikely that the House spending bill will make it past the Democratic-controlled Congress and President Joe Biden. In the end, NIH’s funding is more likely to remain flat or even see a small bump. WELCOME TO THURSDAY PULSE, where we just learned that employees at the burger chain In-N-Out will soon need a doctor’s note if they want to wear a mask to work. Send tips, feedback and well wishes to eschumaker@politico.com and dpayne@politico.com.
| | POLITICO is hosting a health care event, The Next Generation of Health Care Therapies, on Thursday starting at 4 p.m. ET. Join POLITICO to dive deep into the landscape of future health care treatments like gene therapy and how they could reshape our current health care system. | | | TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, Erin talks with host Katherine Ellen Foley about her interview with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who was once one of the biggest champions of the National Institutes of Health but now backs funding cuts to the agency. Plus, how a budget cut would impact the NIH's work.
| | | | | | | A message from PhRMA: Research and development of cancer medicines after their initial FDA approval can help expand treatment populations, find new ways of treating a cancer or help patients earlier in their cancer battle. Unfortunately, provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act put this progress in jeopardy by selecting medicines for price setting before many of these critical advancements can be fully realized. Read the new report. | | | | | | | 
Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) says doctors deserve pay increases instead of the pay cuts in the CMS' proposed physician fee schedule. | House Television via AP | LAWMAKERS EYE SHORT-TERM DOC PAY FIX — Lawmakers from both parties are exploring a short-term fix to a potential 3.3 percent cut to Medicare payments that CMS proposed last week as they reluctantly put more long-term reforms on the back burner. “It’s not good. This is very poor policy,” Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) told Robert earlier this week. “We are working on broader CMS reform to try to fix it.” The proposed physician fee schedule, expected to be finalized later this year, includes the 3.3 percent cut alongside other doctor policy changes for next year. CMS officials said during a recent call with reporters they must abide by a formula set by Congress to calculate the pay rates. Some lawmakers oppose the pay cuts but don’t have a course of action yet. “I always worry about these physician cuts and certainly would be willing to work with Republicans to address it, but we haven’t come to any consensus yet,” said Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Bucshon said a decision to keep the cuts from taking effect could be addressed in any end-of-the-year package. Congress already has looming deadlines for funding the government and several health program extensions by the end of September. Congress has been in this position before. Lawmakers spread out a 4 percent cut for 2023 last year, installing instead a 2 percent cut for 2023 and up to a 1.2 percent cut for 2024. “I am hoping to fully get rid of them this time,” Bucshon said. “The reality is that physicians should be getting pay increases.”
| | | | JOIN 7/26 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW ENERGY ECONOMY: Join POLITICO's lively discussion, "Powering a Clean Energy Economy," on July 26 to explore the effectiveness of consumer-targeted policies to boost sustainability and create clean energy jobs. How are the Inflation Reduction Act's provisions faring? Which strategies truly sway consumer behavior? Hear from featured speaker, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), among other experts. Don't miss this insightful event — register today and be part of the conversation driving America's clean energy future! REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | | | MENENDEZ PEPFAR PUSH — Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced a five-year reauthorization of the U.S. HIV program PEPFAR. It's an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act the Senate is considering this week, POLITICO’s Carmen Paun reports. The amendment is a dates-only change for the $5 billion-a-year President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, credited with saving 25 million lives since its inception two decades ago. The program’s current authorization expires at the end of September. Its reauthorization has hit a roadblock in the House after Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on global health, accused the Biden administration of using the program to fund abortion rights groups abroad. But 75 representatives from both parties, led by Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Mike Lawler (R-N.Y), wrote to the State Department on Thursday expressing support for PEPFAR’s reauthorization and continued work in decreasing the number of children born with HIV. Their letter follows a similar one that 21 senators from both parties sent to the State Department in June.
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   | | | | | SANDERS DROPS WORKFORCE, CARE BILL — Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) unveiled an $86 billion health care and provider workforce package Wednesday, Megan reports. The bill, to be marked up on July 26, would reauthorize several federal health programs, increase access to primary care and incentivize people to pursue careers in health care. The package has already drawn the ire of Republicans, who say the amounts being authorized are unreasonably high. Meanwhile, hospitals are pushing back on site-neutral payment policies in the bill, under which patients pay the same for a service regardless of where it’s received. Chip Kahn, the CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, said in a statement that the provisions would have a “devastating impact” on hospitals and ultimately harm patient care. PAHPA DON’T PREACH — The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday Ok’d legislation to ensure the U.S. is prepared for pandemics and other emergencies in a party-line vote in which all Democrats voted against it, Megan reports. The GOP-led House markup is the first time that reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act hasn’t moved on a bipartisan basis. The disagreements are over the bill's scope and whether to address unresolved drug shortages. Reps. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) have been talking over the last several months, but they’ve been unable to hammer out a compromise. Hudson has repeatedly said he’s still open to working with Democrats, but he could face headwinds from his own party on spending levels. This morning, the Senate is considering its own reauthorization, which is broader than the House bill. Should both measures advance, policymakers will have to reconcile the differences.
| | JUUL ASKS FDA TO AUTHORIZE NEW PRODUCT — Juul said Wednesday it had submitted a marketing application for a new e-cigarette that verifies the user’s age, Katherine reports. According to the company, the vape — sold in the U.K. under the name Juul2 — connects to a web or smartphone app that uses third-party verification to ensure users are adults. It also heats e-liquid juice more consistently than previous models. The company asked the agency to authorize a tobacco-flavored pod for the device. The FDA ordered all Juul’s vape products off the market last year on the grounds that the company didn’t adequately address questions about potential toxicity. The company appealed, and shortly after, the FDA issued a stay on its own decision. The agency is conducting an additional review, and Juul’s appeal is still pending. It’s unclear when the FDA will decide on Juul’s previous marketing application or the newly submitted one.
| | | | JOIN 7/27 FOR A TALK ON WOMEN LEADERS IN THE NEW WORKPLACE: In the wake of the pandemic, U.S. lawmakers saw a unique opportunity to address the current childcare system, which has become increasingly unaffordable for millions of Americans, but the initial proposals went nowhere. With the launch of the Congressional Bipartisan Affordable Childcare Caucus in May, there may be a path to make childcare more affordable. Join Women Rule on July 27 to dive into this timely topic and more with featured speakers Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Reshma Saujani, Founder & CEO of Moms First and Founder of Girls Who Code. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | Amar Desai is the new CEO of Optum Health. He was previously executive-in-residence at UnitedHealth Group.
| | STAT reports on Stanford president Marc Tessier-Lavigne announcing his resignation following an investigation that confirmed he manipulated data in his scientific papers. The Washington Post reports on how having a certain gene variant could explain why some people test positive for coronavirus but don't develop symptoms. ProPublica reports on how Los Angeles’ failure to enforce its own affordable housing laws uprooted the long-term residents of a 118-year-old residential hotel. STAT reports on cancer drug shortages causing patients to question whether their survival odds are being undercut.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: A new report showcases the vital role of post-approval R&D in nine critical oncology treatments. This research can help expand treatment populations, find new ways of treating a cancer or help patients earlier in their cancer battle. Unfortunately, provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act put this progress in jeopardy by selecting medicines for price setting before many of these critical advancements can be fully realized. See how post-approval R&D in cancer is at risk. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
