| | | | |  | | By Carmen Paun, Daniel Payne, Erin Schumaker and Evan Peng | | | | | | | 
Bera's got a plan of attack for the fentanyl problem. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | Fresh off a visit to Mexico City this month, Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) said that stopping fentanyl from flowing into the United States means stopping the chemicals used to manufacture the illicit drug when they arrive at Mexican ports. That’s because the synthetic opioid — which is driving record overdose deaths in the U.S. — is more difficult to track once it reaches the drug cartels that produce it. Supply side: “Whereas with methamphetamine, you can kind of look for the labs, and they're fairly easy to identify, but the [fentanyl] pill presses are not, and they can be set up very easily,” Bera, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Indo-Pacific Subcommittee, told Carmen. That’s why more forceful approaches such as bombing fentanyl labs in Mexico, which some Republican lawmakers and GOP presidential candidates have proposed, would be ineffective in disrupting the flow of the drug, according to Bera. Next steps: “I think we can all agree that we should try to target and identify the precursor elements; we should see if there's a system by which we can track some of these elements as well,” he said. Bera wants to talk to the Drug Enforcement Administration and the White House about the possibility of tracking where raw materials came from when law enforcement busts a fentanyl ring, he said. Still, that won’t stop the drug-overdose crisis. Demand side: “We do have to double our efforts to educate the public and think about the public health side of this,” Bera said. That means tackling the loneliness, despair and anguish driving people to use substances, he said. "We do have to do an education campaign to make sure folks are not experimenting with pills in high school and so forth because they don’t know what that could be laced with,” Bera said.
| | | | A message from March of Dimes: According to March of Dimes’ new set of reports, “Where You Live Matters: Maternity Care Deserts and the Crisis of Access and Equity,” more than 5.6 million women in counties with no or limited access to maternity care services. Access to care continues to decline with a 4 percent decrease in birthing hospitals in one year and, overall, the loss of 301 birthing units in the U.S. since March of Dimes began reporting in 2018. | | | | | | | 
Tabernash, Colo. | Shawn Zeller | | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Due to social media-fueled overcrowding, Pomfret, Vt., is temporarily closing a scenic road to non-residents during peak leaf-peeping season, the Associated Press reports. Among locals' complaints about tourists: they've blocked traffic, obstructed emergency vehicle access — and to home owners' dismay — picnicked and gone to the bathroom on private property. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Evan Peng at epeng@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, host Lauren Gardner talks with POLITICO health care reporter Daniel Payne, who explains how the American Medical Association’s support for abortion and transgender care has strained its ties to the GOP, putting its influence on health care policy at risk.
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No one likes a surprise bill. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo | Lawmakers share doctors’ frustration with the Biden administration’s implementation of the No Surprises Act — but they don’t have plans to address it through legislation. Members of both parties argue the arbitration process the Biden administration established to implement the 2020 law, which aims to limit how much patients are charged when they receive emergency care from out-of-network providers, is flawed. Doctors say insurers ignore arbitration awards in their favor. Insurers say doctors flood the system with frivolous claims. And patients continue to be billed. State of play: Last week, the GOP Doctors Caucus met with stakeholders to discuss the implications of continuing the current arbitration system. They want it fixed but don’t plan to clarify the law, the Republican doctors said. “It's pretty damn clear,” said Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), a urologist and co-chair of the committee. “We’ve already done the work. Why do we have to do it again? Because an agency decided they wanted to write laws.” The administration has long defended its approach to determining provider fees, including in court. But last month, Texas federal district court Judge Jeremy Kernodle tossed out key aspects of the arbitration process, finding they were skewed in insurers’ favor. What’s next? Lawmakers plan to keep up pressure on the administration. The House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing last week at which Republicans and Democrats expressed concern. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a gastroenterologist, sent a letter to the administration probing its decisions implementing the law and how it came to them. “The judge in Texas has had no difficulty understanding congressional intent,” said Texas GOP Rep. Michael Burgess, an OB/GYN.
| | | | A message from March of Dimes:   | | | | | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | | |  Hopefully, this antibiotic will work for you. | AFP via Getty Images | The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, the new agency charged with funding high-risk, high-reward research, plans to spend $104 million to combat antibiotic resistance, which HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra called an "urgent and growing threat." Harvard Medical School will lead the multi-institution research team. The program, called DART, for Defeating Antibiotic Resistance through Transformative Solutions, will seek to better understand how antibiotic resistance starts and develop new antibiotics. It will also focus on identifying bacteria that can evade infections and finding the right antibiotics to prescribe for infections in real time. Why it matters: There are more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections, and more than 35,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to ARPA-H. Such infections lengthen hospital stays, drive up health care costs and lead to complications for patients.
| | | | A message from March of Dimes: As the leader in the fight for the health of all moms and babies, March of Dimes released this set of reports to raise awareness and illustrate the actions needed to improve outcomes for moms and babies.
Policy solutions around telehealth can address the limited access to maternity care in the U.S., expanding accessibility and providing more options for healthcare delivery. Telehealth can replace or enhance in-person care and can save lives by providing high-quality care to women across the country.
March of Dimes has also long supported policies that improve access to quality health care, advance health equity initiatives, and improve research and surveillance, by demanding lawmakers prioritize #BlanketChange policies.
We all have a role to play in addressing maternal health challenges. Call on leaders at the federal level, to implement new policies that put the health of moms and babies at the forefront. Act today at https://p2a.co/ga3vxkl | | | | | | | HAPPENING 9/28 — INSIDE THE CANCER MOONSHOT: Join POLITICO on Thursday, Sept. 28 for an in-depth discussion on the future of cancer treatment and innovation. Hear from experts including scientists, government officials and industry leaders as we explore the critical roles played by private industry, nonprofits, the National Cancer Institute and the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health in achieving the Biden administration's goal of cutting the cancer death rate in half over the next 25 years. Don't miss this opportunity to dive into the progress of cancer treatments and learn about the challenges patients encounter in accessing care. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
