| | | | |  | | By Ben Leonard, Erin Schumaker and Evan Peng | Presented by Walmart | | | | | |  In Spain, it was illegal to leave home in March 2020, with limited exceptions. | Getty Images | There’s no consensus in Washington about whether and how the government could assess its performance during the Covid pandemic, given the strident views about lockdowns, vaccine mandates and mask rules. In Brussels, the European Parliament will vote tomorrow on its appraisal, which mostly avoids the hot-button controversies, POLITICO’s Carlo Martuscelli reports. One exception: The report does come close to an outright condemnation of school closures, saying they hurt young people’s mental health and exacerbated inequalities. In the future, the report says, schools should stay open “if the epidemiological situation allows it.” At the same time: The report suggests greater coordination by EU countries on border controls, data-sharing, clinical trials, and joint procurement of drugs. Many of the document’s most concrete proposals center around making sure that the bloc has manufacturing capacity to avoid future shortages of medicines and medical products, after the pandemic exposed the fragility of the EU’s supply chains. It calls for the EU and member countries “to reduce their dependence on third-country trade partners for [pharmaceutical ingredients] and key medicines.” It also proposes the creation of EU stockpiles of emergency medicines and for the European Commission to explore the creation of a not-for-profit pharmaceutical project for the manufacture of medical products in case of emergency. Other initiatives include better supply chain mapping, improved data sharing to anticipate shortages and an invite to the commission to “consider funding strategic projects in the health sector through a European Sovereignty Fund that could contribute to achieve EU’s strategic autonomy on medical products.” Called out: While the EU was responsible for producing and delivering a huge amount of vaccines that also went to the developing world, “the EU has an excessive number of vaccines in relation to need,” the report says. It offers a damning assessment of the performance of the COVAX vaccine-sharing pool, which the EU backed, saying it “did not live up to the high expectations, accumulated delays and failed to meet [low and middle income country] needs.” On intellectual property rights, the report treads a careful line, acknowledging they are crucial to support private industry while recognizing “long-standing concerns over intellectual property rights and access to affordable medicines in low- and middle-income countries.”
| | A message from Walmart: Nearly 133 million Americans live with a chronic condition who need accessible, affordable medication to help them stay healthy. Walmart pharmacies offer prescriptions for medications that treat heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol starting at $4 per month. With 90% of the U.S. population living within 10 miles of a Walmart store or pharmacy, Walmart is increasing the accessibility of services and medications that help millions of Americans live a little better. Learn more. | | | | | | | 
Multnomah Falls, Ore. | Evan Peng | | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. A see-through mouse could one day bolster cancer drug tests, the BBC reports. A researcher in Munich developed a chemical process to remove fats and pigments from the mouse's corpse, so that it looks like a clear plastic toy. Scanning the mouse's transparent body revealed smaller tumors than conventional scans, which could eventually lead to more robust drug testing. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Ben Leonard at bleonard@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, your host Ben talks with Megan R. Wilson about what lies in store for lawmakers returning from their July recess — with only 11 legislative days before their next break. Expect high policy aspirations and partisan gridlock as deadlines approach for must-pass health care legislation.
| | | | | | | UNLEASH THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE WITH POLITICO, A 7/20 INTERACTIVE EVENT: Imagine a future where rare genetic diseases are not only treatable, but potentially curable. Where our approach to chronic illness takes a monumental leap forward. That future is already taking shape in the form of next-generation health care treatments such as gene therapy. Join POLITICO on Thursday, July 20 and delve into the burgeoning field of gene therapies, which hold the power to redefine our health care landscape. Are you ready to explore this new frontier in health care? Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | | |  Good has a bill to codify rules requiring hospitals and insurers to disclose their prices. | Getty Images | There’s bipartisan momentum in Congress for mandating greater price transparency in health care. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and ranking member Bobby Scott (D-Va.) on Tuesday unveiled a health care package of four bills that aim to give consumers greater insight into what they’re paying and why. “For too long, patients have been left in the dark, unable to make informed health care decisions which has left them paying higher costs,” Foxx said in a statement. The meatiest bill within the package, authored by Health Subcommittee Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) and subcommittee ranking member Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.) would codify existing regulations that require hospitals and insurance companies to disclose the prices of their services and establish new disclosure requirements for pharmacy benefit managers, which run drug benefit programs for insurers. Even so: It’s unclear how this package fits with other proposals in both the House and Senate. In May, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced a broad health care package that included similar transparency measures for pharmacy benefit managers, insurers and hospitals. What’s next? The committee plans to mark up the bills Wednesday morning.
| | | | A message from Walmart:   | | | | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | | |  Fear of government surveillance, even for public health purposes, is common, a new survey found. | Getty Images | Patients are apprehensive about health data privacy. That’s the takeaway from a new survey by health data firm Health Gorilla of 1,213 U.S. patients that the company distributed consistently with Census data. It found 95 percent were concerned about possible data breaches and 54 percent felt uneasy about technology companies’ efforts to protect their data. About two-thirds said they don’t trust large tech firms like Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook and Microsoft with their health information. Anxieties about health data privacy aren’t new, Steven Lane, chief medical officer at Health Gorilla, told Ben, but even so, he added: “The degree of concern did surprise me.” Worry is warranted: More than 52 million people in the U.S. had their health data breached in 2022, a more than threefold increase in four years, according to a POLITICO analysis of data from the Department of Health and Human Services. And breaches have exploded in the first half of 2023, with more than 330 breaches affecting 41.1 million people. Building confidence: Health Gorilla has a stake in data privacy issues, since the firm is involved with HHS’ effort to improve data sharing through the agency’s Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement. The survey found that 60 percent of respondents said that such an arrangement would make them feel better. Even so: Many people fear the government will use online health data for surveillance. Less than a quarter of those surveyed said they’d be fine with health departments or federal or local government agencies having access to their health data, even for a “legitimate public health reason.” Ease of use: Despite their disquiet, patients are taking advantage of the improved access to their medical records afforded by online patient portals, the survey found. Eighty-three percent of those polled said they had accessed their records in the past year, and 72 percent said it was either “extremely” or “somewhat” easy to do. “It’s really exciting to see that people do it, they care about it, it adds value to their life and they don’t find it terribly burdensome,” Lane said.
| | A message from Walmart: Walmart is on a mission to transform the cost and convenience of healthcare in communities across the country. By increasing the accessibility of services and medications for customers with heart disease, diabetes and more, Walmart helps millions of Americans live a little better:
● Walmart pharmacies offer prescriptions for medications that treat heart disease, diabetes, cholesterol and more, starting at just $4 per month
● Walmart provides healthcare access to over 4,000 HRSA designated medically underserved areas
● 90% of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of Walmart store or pharmacy
With nearly 133 million Americans living with a chronic condition, Walmart’s mission is to help people save money and “live better” by committing to making healthcare more accessible, convenient and affordable for customers in the communities they serve.
Learn more about Walmart’s commitment to Health & Wellness. | | | | | | | 
HHS is pledging stricter reviews of grantees' non-discrimination policies. | Saul Loeb/AFP/via Getty Images | | | “We're making very clear what’s expected when you have federal funds and grants from HHS.” – Melanie Fontes Rainer, HHS Office for Civil Rights director | | The legal battle between the rights of LGBTQ people and those of religious conservatives is fierce. And the Department of Health and Human Services is wading into it. Earlier today, the department proposed more scrutiny of applicants for grants about their nondiscrimination policies. The proposed rule aims to strengthen protections against discrimination based on gender orientation and sexual identity and would broaden them to cover programs at more HHS agencies, including some at the Administration for Children and Families, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. “This is the next step in rebuilding the department's civil rights infrastructure,” OCR Director Melanie Fontes Rainer told POLITICO. For the opposition: Advocates for religious conservatives criticized the proposal, saying it could mean government discrimination against religious groups, is an unnecessary addition to existing protections, and would make it harder to place children in foster care or in adoptive homes. Even so: The proposed rule attempts to head off legal challenges by creating a process for people with religious objections to seek an exemption. What’s next? HHS is taking comments on the proposal for 60 days after it’s published in the Federal Register. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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