POLITICO's Pulse Check

"The real, ultimate issue is not interoperability — it's unaffordability of American healthcare and lack of consistent health care product... You go to see somebody, and you don't know what it's going to cost."

Don Rucker, the national coordinator for health information technology, explains how the Trump administration is building on — and departing from — the Obama administration's policies. POLITICO's Darius Tahir also joins to evaluate efforts to improve data access.

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When conservative analyst Lanhee Chen joined POLITICO's "Pulse Check" podcast two years ago, he wasn't sure what to expect from then-candidate Donald Trump. Today, Lanhee's happy with the moves that the Trump administration has made, and he joins Dan Diamond to discuss what won him over. (Starts at the 15:00-minute mark.)

But first, POLITICO's Adam Cancryn sits down to talk about the latest news on the insurance market and HHS at the six-month mark under Secretary Alex Azar.

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MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

The Trump administration on Wednesday finalized a rule intended to encourage Americans to buy short-term health plans.

Adam’s story on association health plans and NFIB’s decision.

Dan’s story on political interference at ASPE, the internal policy shop at HHS.

Lanhee’s July 2016 appearance on POLITICO’s Pulse Check podcast.

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"It's not about how I feel — that's not really what this is about. What this is about is affordability, access, and quality of health care for millions of American people and families across the country."

Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the former HHS secretary and current American University president, sits down with POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss her career, how she views the Trump administration's efforts to tear down the Affordable Care Act and how she's adjusting to new challenges in higher ed.

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MENTIONED ON THE SHOW:

A photo from the 1993 documentary, "The War Room."

The Atlantic's 2014 story on Burwell taking "the worst job" in Washington.

The Washington Post's 2018 story on Burwell guest-coaching the American University women's basketball team.

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POLITICO's Jennifer Haberkorn joins PULSE CHECK to trace the battle over abortion in America, from the courts to Congress and beyond.

Some of Jen's recent reporting on abortion:

How anti-abortion forces learned to love Trump: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/22/anti-abortion-forces-trump-561191

The next Supreme Court justice could weigh in on abortion quickly: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/03/trump-supreme-court-pick-abortion-667924

The truth behind Sen. Bob Casey's 'pro-life' stand: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/02/casey-abortion-pennsylvania-midterms-689505

States prepare for a post-Roe world: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/15/abortion-states-roe-wade-687468

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Washington has been consumed with fights over the Affordable Care Act, HHS' care of migrant kids and Donald Trump's promise to cut drug prices — and we'll get back to all of those issues on PULSE CHECK soon.

But today's episode goes outside the Beltway for a look at a persistent public health problem: Brain cancer. POLITICO's Dan Diamond sat down with Ron DePinho, a famed researcher who led MD Anderson Cancer Center, to discuss the moonshot cancer initiative, whether "curing" cancer is realistic and why he stepped down as hospital president.

REFERENCED ON THE PODCAST

MD Anderson's "Moon Shots" Program, which inspired the Obama administration's own cancer initiative.

Ron's 2017 resignation speech as MD Anderson Cancer Center president.

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It's official: Judge Brett Kavanaugh is President Donald Trump's choice to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.

And his probable confirmation, and the Court's resulting shift to the right, raises serious questions for health care. What happens to the Affordable Care Act? Is Roe v. Wade doomed? And how does this change lawmakers' strategy ahead of the midterms?

In a bonus conversation, POLITICO's Jennifer Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn joined Dan Diamond to discuss Kavanaugh's background and why he was picked, how the selection is playing across key advocacy groups that could sway the nomination and what's next for the Court and Congress.

REFERENCED ON THE PODCAST

Kavanaugh's track record as an appeals court judge: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/09/brett-kavanaugh-track-record-675294

Adam's story on the reaction to Kavanaugh's selection: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/09/brett-kavanaugh-conservative-policies-675460

POLITICO's reporting on how Kavanaugh quickly emerged as a front-runner for the seat: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/09/brett-kavanaugh-trump-private-meeting-706137

POLITICO's Josh Gerstein dug into Kavanaugh's decision on abortion access for a teen immigrant, a ruling that's split conservatives. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/06/trump-supreme-court-pick-kavanaugh-immigrant-abortion-teen-700856

Jen's April 2018 reporting on how opponents of Roe v. Wade were preparing for this moment: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/15/abortion-trump-supreme-court-roe-wade-473601

Jen's story on abortion cases that could come before the Supreme Court: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/03/trump-supreme-court-pick-abortion-667924

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A federal judge on June 26 ordered the Trump administration to reunite migrant families that it separated at the border. But days later, there's been little progress, and POLITICO's Paul Demko and Renuka Rayasam join Dan Diamond to discuss what has — and still hasn't — happened at HHS (starts at the 1:30 mark). Paul also discussed the latest enrollment numbers from the Affordable Care Act marketplaces and the state of Obamacare heading into the midterm elections (starts at the 12:45 mark).

Then after the break, Dan sits down with Atul Gawande in a previously unaired segment to discuss Atul's thoughts on long-term care and how he sees health reform (starts at the 26:45 mark).

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MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

Renu's story on medical workers' concerns about migrant families' health risks: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/20/some-of-the-kids-i-spoke-to-were-traumatized-some-could-barely-speak-638329

Dan and Ted Hesson's story on HHS' slow response to reuniting families: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/02/separated-families-border-children-reunite-664674

Paul's story on how ACA rate hikes will be a headache for Republicans: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/24/obamacare-rate-increase-republicans-election-642386

Atul's New Yorker article on whether health care is a right: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/10/02/is-health-care-a-right

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"What has been done to these children, to forcibly separate small children from a parent... it's what totalitarian regimes do as a form of torture... We all should be outraged."

Bob Carey, who ran the Office of Refugee Resettlement between 2015 and 2017, talks with Dan Diamond about how the office works, why it belongs inside HHS and the looming challenges of trying to put families back together again (starts at the 23:30 mark).

But first, POLITICO's Jennifer Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn join Dan to discuss what the Supreme Court's latest rulings mean for health care, review how the migrant crisis is playing out on Capitol Hill and dive into Congress' efforts to put together opioid bills (starts at the 1:30 mark).

We'd appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app!

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MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

The Supreme Court's ruling on crisis pregnancy centers: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/supreme-court-crisis-pregnancy-centers-673183

Jen and Brianna Ehley's story on lawmakers rushing to write bipartisan opioid bills: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/16/lawmakers-opioid-bills-midterms-624926

Adam's story on the special interests and companies that stand to gain from the House's opioid package: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/22/house-opioid-bills-lobbying-637695

HHS Secretary Alex Azar was grilled on Capitol Hill over his agency's plan to reunite migrant families: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/26/azar-separated-families-673186

Scott Lloyd, Bob Carey's successor at the HHS refugee office, built his career as an anti-abortion advocate: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/21/scott-lloyd-anti-abortion-separated-kids-642094

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Live from the Aspen Ideas Festival’s “Spotlight Health,” ex-Obama official Andy Slavitt and Arkansas health chief Cindy Gillespie address how HHS should quickly reunify separated families, look for common ground on Medicaid work requirements and debate the future of the ACA.

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In 2015, the Wall Street Journal's John Carreyrou revealed that the blood tests developed by Theranos — the $9 billion company led by Elizabeth Holmes — didn't work. Now John's out with "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup," a book that offers new details about Holmes, her fraud and her efforts to kill his investigation.

John joined POLITICO's Dan Diamond to discuss how he got the story and walk through the Theranos timeline (starts at the 1:35 mark), how Holmes was able to attract staff, investors and media attention (12:00), why government regulators didn't spot the fraud (21:30), why staff were scared to blow the whistle (28:15), what Carreyrou thinks of reporters who missed the story and more on his journalistic process (33:30).

At the end, there's a lighting round of listener-submitted questions at 43:30.

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MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

John's initial story on Theranos in 2015: https://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-has-struggled-with-blood-tests-1444881901

Fortune Magazine's 2014 cover story on Holmes, one of many laudatory articles: http://fortune.com/2014/06/12/theranos-blood-holmes/

John's new book, "Bad Blood." https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078VW3VM7/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against Holmes and her lieutenant Sunny Balwani this month: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-files-criminal-charges-against-theranoss-elizabeth-holmes-ramesh-balwani-1529096005

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