POLITICO's Pulse Check

From governors to ballot measures, legislatures to attorneys general, voters are casting ballots both directly and indirectly on abortion. Megan Messerly talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about the top races she's watching that will impact who can obtain an abortion, where and how. Also, Alice Miranda Ollstein provides a dispatch from Kentucky.

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A new congressional report links cybersecurity in the health sector to patient safety. Ben Leonard talks with Megan Messerly about the new report from Senate Cybersecurity Caucus co-founder Mark Warner’s (D-Va.) office, which asks Congress to consider getting HHS to set minimum security standards for the health industry. Plus, Katherine Ellen Foley on what you should know from Pfizer and Moderna's earnings calls.

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On Wednesday, in a deal not yet finalized, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart agreed to pay a total of $13.8 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits for their roles in the opioid crisis. Krista Mahr talks with Grace Scullion about the settlement and the newest developments on the opioid front.

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The FDA’s tobacco regulatory decision-making process is so slow and opaque that it’s ineffective, say legal, industry and public health experts appearing before an outside panel conducting a commissioner-mandated review of the program. Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Ben Leonard. Plus, Greer Donley, a professor specializing in reproductive health care at the University of Pittsburgh Law School, breaks down what the FDA’s stance on doctors prescribing abortion pills to people who aren’t yet pregnant means in practice.

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Pediatric hospitals nationwide are filling with children severely ill with respiratory syncytial virus that, after two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, has made a sudden surge. Lauren Gardner talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about how the increase in RSV cases casts attention on a handful of drugmakers with vaccines. Plus, Alice's dispatch from Michigan where Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is trying to make an economic case for abortion rights.

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The leading industry group for biopharmaceutical companies is reeling after the departure of its CEO — just as the Biden administration is poised to begin implementing a new law aimed at reducing drug prices and as the balance of power could shift in Congress. Megan Wilson talks with Katherine Ellen Foley about the turmoil at the industry group. Plus, Chris Hammond, a Covid long-hauler, shares what life has been like for him, the Johns Hopkins trials he's a part of, and why he's not optimistic about additional Covid funding from Congress.

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David Lim talks with Ruth Reader about the biggest takeaways from MedTech, an annual conference held by the medical device industry. Plus, researcher Eric Bressman discusses a new study that found that sending patients automated text messages to check on them after they’ve left the hospital can reduce their chances of readmission or a visit to the emergency room.

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Two years after Congress offered a fix to struggling rural hospitals, the overwhelming majority are taking a pass. Daniel Payne talks with Alice Miranda Ollstein about why. Plus, Katherine Ellen Foley breaks down the CDC's newest Morbidity and Mortality weekly report on monkeypox.

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Arizona voters could approve a measure designed to stop creditors from gouging people with medical bills, and other states are taking notice. If the Arizona measure passes, the union-backed initiative is likely to be replicated in other red and purple states where progressives have successfully pushed ballot measures to accomplish what conservative legislators will not, like expanding Medicaid, raising the minimum wage and establishing paid sick leave. Megan Messerly talks with Lauren Gardner about the new measure. Plus, David Agus, the Ellison Institute’s CEO, on developing digital Covid certificates, green passes and Covid passports.

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Nearly three years into the Covid-19 pandemic, a new report from Resolve to Save Lives is highlighting the infectious diseases that didn’t end in catastrophe. Daniel Payne talks with Krista Mahr about what we can learn from case studies of of successful containment in ebola, rabies and cholera.

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