POLITICO's Pulse Check

POLITICO reporters analyze what's next as Alex Azar takes the reins at HHS, and in an interview, Providence St. Joseph Health CEO Rod Hochman discusses hospital system strategy.

Karen DeSalvo, a top HHS official in the Obama administration, reflects on her time in government, how HHS has changed under Trump and some of the public health issues shaping the nation. POLITICO's Dan Diamond runs through several health care stories that got overshadowed by Congress' shutdown fight.

In a conversation recorded at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, venture capitalist Bob Kocher discusses how he makes investments, what he looks for in entrepreneurs and whether the Trump administration is helping or hurting health care business. POLITICO reporters discuss takeaways from JPM and the big health care issues looming in California.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb discusses his agency's work, why he took the job and what lies ahead in 2018. In a panel discussion, POLITICO reporters analyze Gottlieb's comments and discuss the looming issues facing FDA.

Ady Barkan, an activist with ALS who memorably confronted Sen. Jeff Flake, discusses his high-profile career in advocacy and why he's fighting so hard against Republicans' tax bill.

POLITICO's Paul Demko and Dan Diamond discuss their latest reporting on Obamacare and what recent political developments — with Alabama's Doug Jones and Minnesota's Tina Smith poised to join the Senate —  will mean for health care. The University of Minnesota’s Sarah Gollust explains her research on ACA-related advertising, enrollment and the media.

POLITICO reporters look at Congress' progress on a year-end spending bill and Republicans' tax package, and economist Craig Garthwaite explains the Aetna-CVS deal and other major health care mergers from the week.

POLITICO's Jennifer Haberkorn and Adam Cancryn discuss their reporting on the GOP tax package, CHIP funding, the possible next HHS secretary and other stories from the week, conservative health care analyst Chris Jacobs critiques Republicans' tax legislation and the party's health care efforts, and Dan Diamond discusses the erroneous reports about Kellyanne Conway being named "opioids czar."

“William Gibson is the guy who said, ‘The future is already here, it’s just unevenly distributed.’ That’s the fun part [of my job] — you can look at a whole range of stuff … is this something that’s going to emerge from the slough of despond, and how long is it going to take?”

POLITICO's Paul Demko and Sarah Karlin-Smith discuss the latest developments in the GOP tax fight, HHS nomination and other stories from the week, Dartmouth professor Brendan Nyhan explains his research into lies and myths about the ACA and health care, and Dan Diamond reflects on the passing of Uwe Reinhardt.