Presented by

With Carmen Paun and Megan R. Wilson

GOP COVID INVESTIGATION PLANS BREWING — Preparing to take over the House in January, Republicans are planning to spread their Covid-19 investigations across multiple committees — largely focusing on the virus’ origins and misspent pandemic funds, POLITICO’s Alice Miranda Ollstein reports.

Republican members are still debating whether to continue the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, which is expected to release its final report today and hold its last hearing next week.

There’s already one new Select Committee in the works, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Thursday: The Select Committee on China. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) will helm the panel, and he said he would, among other priorities, investigate the origins of Covid-19.

But there’s more — Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), who will chair the House Oversight Committee, said he’s still “very interested in the origination of Covid,” adding several other committees are as well.

Mixed views from the other side: Democrats are torn on how to respond to GOP plans for oversight of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some, including Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who leads the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and is one of few Chinese Americans serving in Congress, are concerned about lending legitimacy to what they see as a xenophobic undertaking. But others are calling on their colleagues to hold their noses and engage.

WELCOME TO FRIDAY PULSE, where we want to know if you got an invite to the 15-minute Christmas party on the Hill.

Ever been part of a memorable party hosted by a government office? We want to hear about it — along with any health news you might have. Drop us a line at [email protected] and [email protected].

MENTAL HEALTH OMNIBUS HOPES — Lawmakers are looking to get a package of 30 bills addressing mental health and addiction added to a year-end spending package, your host reports.

Rep. David Trone (D-Md.) told POLITICO he’s “cautiously optimistic” the package, which passed the House 402-20 in June, will pass by the end of the year.

“It's just crucial we get this attached to the omnibus and passed,” he said.

The bill, called the Restoring Hope For Mental Health And Well-Being Act, includes provisions to expand and modify mental health programs and grants through 2027, as well as bolstering efforts to prevent and treat substance abuse.

Trone said he’s been talking with Republicans in the Senate, working to convince them of the importance of the measures for a final bill. And members of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force sent a letter to congressional leadership last month, urging action before the year’s end.

Trone said that, while hopeful, he did see a risk for the legislation to get lost in a year-end rush.

BOOKER’S DIET — Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) wants to use the next farm bill to improve Americans’ bad eating habits. Booker, who has a seat on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee that will write the bill, sees opportunities:

• to reform SNAP (the federal government’s food stamp program) with an eye on incentivizing Americans to buy more nutritious meals.
• to align farm subsidies in support of consumption that adheres to U.S. nutrition guidelines.
• to do trials on new nutrition programs on military bases and in federal prisons.

Why it matters: Unhealthy food is contributing to chronic disease and huge medical bills, Booker said:

What’s next: In a nod to President Joe Biden’s ambitions to end hunger through better nutrition, Booker said the data is there for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reimburse people for medically tailored meals. They’d get prescriptions for them, just like they do drugs and devices.

HOSPITALS START PUSHING A PRIORITY FOR NEXT CONGRESS — The American Hospital Association is lobbying Congress to create a new designation for hospitals that provide an above-average amount of Medicaid and uncompensated care in a bid to boost those facilities’ flagging finances, your host reports.

And though the group acknowledges the designation likely won’t make it into a year-end package, it’s starting to bring the idea up — hoping to get it passed in the new Congress.

The new designation they’re seeking — called Metropolitan Anchor Hospitals — would recognize hospitals serving poorer patients as essential and likely to eventually get increased reimbursements from the government.

LAWMAKERS DRUM UP SUPPORT TO STOP CUTS — Two new letters are being shopped around the House in the hopes of increasing pressure on congressional leadership to address looming Medicare cuts in a year-end package, your host reports.

One of the letters, coming from a bipartisan group of representatives, urges all cuts be stopped, while another, from the GOP Doctors Caucus, emphasizes the need to address and possibly reduce the cuts, according to drafts obtained by POLITICO.

The difference in approach comes as some members are increasingly concerned with how to pay for adjustments to reimbursements. Details remain vague while committee members wait for topline appropriations numbers from leadership.

FIRST IN PULSE: PROVIDERS SAY PAYMENT CUTS WILL HURT PATIENTS — A survey of more than 1,000 surgeons across the country found they were concerned looming reimbursement cuts will affect wait times, the number of Medicare patients they see and labor issues.

The survey came from the American College of Surgeons, which has been lobbying lawmakers to stop the cuts in a year-end spending package.

About two-thirds of respondents said patient care would likely be delayed by the cuts, with about one in three saying a reduction in reimbursement could change the number of Medicare patients they see.

The data comes as provider groups intensify their year-end push on the Hill to stop or trim the reductions.

LOOKAHEAD: PBMs PEN POLICY BRIEF — Pharmacy benefit managers, known as PBMs, represented by the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, are gearing up for the 118th Congress by releasing a set of drug pricing proposals they say would increase access to biosimilars, the generic versions of biologic drugs.

“Simply put, a more competitive marketplace for biologic medications will mean lower overall prescription drug costs and better health outcomes,” said JC Scott, the CEO of PCMA, in a statement.

The proposals include both legislative and regulatory changes, including shortening the exclusivity period for biologics to seven years and eliminating a number of controversial tactics some drugmakers use to maintain a branded drug’s exclusivity, such as so-called "pay-for-delay" agreements.

PBMs — who were spared in the Inflation Reduction Act — are bracing for what is likely to be a bumpy congressional session for the industry with members in both parties critical of PBMs and the role they play in the prescription drug landscape.

“These [PBM] proposals are anti-innovation and will limit patient access to the next generation of cures. When they support reforming the rebate system, we will take their alleged concerns more seriously,” said a spokesperson for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, a biopharmaceutical industry group, in an email to POLITICO.

FIRST EBOLA VACCINE DOSES ARRIVE IN UGANDA — U.S.-made experimental Ebola vaccine shots arrived in Uganda Thursday to be tested against the Sudan strain, which is behind the ongoing outbreak that started in September, Carmen reports.

Sabin Vaccine Institute, which produced the vaccine developed by the Vaccine Research Center of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, provided 1,100 doses to the Ugandan government and the World Health Organization.

Another 8,500 doses will be made available to the WHO on a rolling basis through January, Sabin said.

“For the first time, vaccines for clinical trials are produced in less than 90 days after the start of an #EbolaOutbreak,” tweeted Charles Njuguna, WHO incident manager in Uganda.

But it may be already too late, as the outbreak in which at least 56 people have died is waning. The last sick patient was dismissed a few days ago, which means clinical researchers may have missed the window to test if the vaccine is effective at preventing disease.

GOOD NEWS FOR MPOX VACCINE — Jynneos, the preferred vaccine in the U.S. through the 2022 Mpox outbreak, was shown to reduce risk of infection without unexpected adverse events, according to early data from the CDC.

In tracking its use since May, the vaccine wasn’t shown to have any new or unexpected risks for adults or children, the agency said.

For every 10 infections in unvaccinated people, there was only one in a person who got two doses of the vaccine. The CDC said more data will be needed to understand how long protection from vaccination lasts.

The New York Times explores Covid's hidden casualties: pregnant people.

The Washington Post’s Claire Parker reports that the group leading Covax has decided (”in principle”) to end its vaccine-sharing initiative.

The Atlantic’s Katherine J. Wu writes about the Covid wave that’s likely coming to China.