By Ben Leonard and Chelsea Cirruzzo

Presented by PCMA // Pharmaceutical Care Management Association

Concerns about both new and old vaccines have spiked among Republican voters. | Mark Felix/Getty Images

THE VAX DIVIDE — In the wake of the Covid pandemic, vaccine skepticism has endured among Republicans — and it stretches beyond just the Covid shot.

Before the pandemic, there wasn’t much of a partisan divide in vaccine skepticism, including over whether students should have to get vaccinated against measles to go to public school, POLITICO’s Steve Shepard reports.

But the pandemic changed that, leaving GOP voters less likely than Democrats or independents to say vaccines are safe for kids, according to a new POLITICO-Morning Consult poll conducted as part of POLITICO’s series about the rising anti-vax movement.

The survey results underscore that the rise in the number of voters who doubt vaccines — despite scientific evidence that they’re safe and effective — has been driven almost exclusively by one political party. While opposition to long-established vaccines is still far from a majority position among Republicans, significant numbers question their safety and say Americans shouldn’t be encouraged to get them.

It’s been particularly pronounced among Trump primary backers, who were twice as likely as other Republicans to say vaccines aren’t safe for children, according to the poll.

The findings come after anti-vaccine groups used the pandemic to grow into multimillion-dollar operations, POLITICO’s Jessica Piper reports in the final story in the series.

Before the pandemic, the anti-vaccine movement had been operating with relatively small budgets and only a handful of staff.

A POLITICO analysis of tax filings found that revenues more than doubled for the Informed Consent Action Network and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Children’s Health Defense in 2021 vs. 2020.

“Covid vaccines have been the foot in the door for the more general anti-vaccine movement. And unfortunately, that door is open pretty wide now,” said Dr. Dave Gorski, a Michigan-based oncologist who’s been tracking anti-vaccine efforts for two decades.

Zooming out: The explosion in funding represents a fundamental shift for the once-fringe entities as the movement has become a modern political force. It means they can boost their reach, take legal actions against federal agencies and organize activists in states and abroad.

For example, earlier this year, a lawsuit funded by the Informed Consent Action Network forced Mississippi to allow religious exemptions for mandatory childhood vaccinations for the first time in more than four decades.

WELCOME TO MONDAY PULSE. Researchers have found a way to regenerate neurons to allow paralyzed mice to walk again. Reach us at [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow along @_BenLeonard_ and @ChelseaCirruzzo.

A message from PCMA // Pharmaceutical Care Management Association:

Big Pharma is the link between patients and high drug prices. Don’t fall for Big Pharma’s “delinking” blame game. Weakening tools pharmacy benefit companies use to lower drug costs gives Big Pharma more power to keep drug prices high. The Big Pharma bills to end so-called “delinking” hand billions of dollars annually to drug companies, while costing patients and payers billions. “Delinking” means employers lose out on savings and employees pay more for prescriptions. 

TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, host Kelly Hooper talks with POLITICO reporter Erin Schumaker, who explains how a growing shortage of primary care doctors paired with an influx of nurse practitioners and physician assistants is rapidly changing who provides Americans health care.

UNPAID CARE ON THE RISE — Hospitals are experiencing a rise in uncompensated care as millions lose Medicaid coverage after redetermination resumed, the American Hospital Association said, pointing to new data.

The figures, from Syntellis Performance Solutions, show a “substantial” bump in uncompensated care between June and July.

Hospitals are legally required to treat anyone going to the emergency room whether or not they can afford the care.

“These early and alarming trends in uncompensated care have put further financial strain on hospitals as they struggle to combat rising expenses,” AHA wrote.

The backdrop: Millions of people have lost Medicaid coverage after the pandemic-era continuous coverage requirement ended and unwinding began. The latest data from KFF says that about 7.4 million Medicaid beneficiaries have been disenrolled, and 12.1 million have had their coverage renewed.

About three-quarters of those disenrolled lost coverage for procedural reasons, according to data. Last month, CMS threatened to pull funds from states that terminate some eligible Medicaid recipients. CMS said last week that half a million people were incorrectly kicked from coverage due to state errors.

A message from PCMA // Pharmaceutical Care Management Association:

MENTAL HEALTH DIGITAL DIVIDE — As the Biden administration pushes to make insurers cover mental health care on par with physical care, there’s a similar push from lawmakers and advocates for electronic health records, Ben reports.

Mental health and substance-use providers weren’t allowed to get billions in federal subsidies for adopting EHRs in the 2009 HITECH Act, which advocates argue has led to significant disparities in uptake between behavioral and physical health providers. While data varies, one recent federal estimate found that 49 percent of psychiatric hospitals have certified electronic health records compared to 96 percent of general and surgical hospitals.

Without the funding, the Behavioral Health industry didn’t invest in robust behavioral health-specific electronic health systems, said Alisa Chestler, a Baker Donelson attorney with digital health expertise.

Legislation from Reps. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) and Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) and Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) would add $20 million in annual grant funding through ONC for behavioral health EHR adoption. Advocates hope it will get into the final SUPPORT Act reauthorization package aimed at addressing the opioid epidemic. The package expires Sept. 30 without Congressional action.

Al Guida, a lobbyist speaking on behalf of the Behavioral Health IT Coalition, said the lack of EHR adoption in behavioral health prevents such care from being integrated into primary care. David Bucciferro, chair of the HIMSS Electronic Health Record Association, added that it hurts care coordination.

Some are more skeptical that a lack of incentives is the main driver of the lack of adoption. Dean Sittig, a top EHR researcher, said that patients’ views on behavioral health disincentivize data-sharing.

“Many patients want their behavioral health treatment to be kept secret, and they know that once in a computer, it is available to more people, both for good and bad purposes,” Sittig told Pulse.

THE WEEK AHEAD — It still could be a busy week on the Hill in health policy even as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy attempts to get his caucus to agree on a deal to fund the government, with a number of packages set to expire Sept. 30.

Votes: The House could vote on reauthorizing the SUPPORT Act, which tackles the opioid epidemic, as well as legislation to boost cybersecurity at the suicide prevention hotline, the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act, the Medicaid Primary Care Improvement Act and the Preventing Maternal Deaths Reauthorization Act.

Those bills have been posted for a vote under suspension of the rules, meaning they’d need a two-thirds vote to pass.

Hearings: The Senate Budget Committee has a hearing slated for Wednesday on protecting the future of Medicare as it risks insolvency in the future, and a House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing Tuesday to examine the VA’s website.

The Senate Finance Committee is also set to consider the nominations of Patricia Neuman and Demetrios Kouzoukas to serve on the board of the Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund on Thursday.

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.

TEXAS DEMS WEIGH IN ON OPIOID CRISIS — Democrats agreed at a POLITICO event Saturday that stopping drugs at the border and prosecuting dealers is part of the answer to the opioid crisis, along with treatment and prevention, POLITICO’s Carmen Paun reports.

At the event, held at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Texas state Sen. Royce West of Dallas, all Democrats, saw a role for law enforcement in tackling the issue.

Additionally, Cuellar rejected the call from some Republicans to bomb the Mexican cartels but said he’s frustrated with a lack of cooperation from the Mexican government and the Biden administration’s diplomacy.

The panelists also agreed on the need to make naloxone, the opioid overdose reversal drug, available nationwide and said fentanyl test strips should be decriminalized, including in Texas, which continues to treat them as drug paraphernalia.

A message from PCMA // Pharmaceutical Care Management Association:

Why would Congress let drug companies boost their own profits at the expense of patients and taxpayers? Big Pharma is the link between patients and high drug prices.

Big Pharma is pushing for so-called “delinking” bills that would give them a profit windfall of $10 BILLION in Medicare alone, forcing patients, taxpayers and employers to pay as much as $18 billion more annually for prescription drugs.

What problem is Congress trying to solve? If the goal is to lower drug costs for patients, taxpayers, and employers, the Big Pharma “delinking” plan is the wrong approach.

“Delinking” means employers lose out on savings and their employees pay more for prescriptions they need.

Get the Facts.

STAT reports on a pig heart being transplanted into a human for a second time.

CNN reports on shortages of a common children’s antibiotic.

DON’T MISS POLITICO’S TECH & AI SUMMIT: America’s ability to lead and champion emerging innovations in technology like generative AI will shape our industries, manufacturing base and future economy. Do we have the right policies in place to secure that future? How will the U.S. retain its status as the global tech leader? Join POLITICO on Sept. 27 for our Tech & AI Summit to hear what the public and private sectors need to do to sharpen our competitive edge amidst rising global competitors and rapidly evolving disruptive technologies. REGISTER HERE.

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://www.politico.com/_login?base=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings

This email was sent to [email protected] by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

Please click here and follow the steps to unsubscribe.