Too often, there's too much media focus on Obamacare. But with a surprise Senate upset throwing a wrench into Republican repeal plans, and with HealthCare.gov sign-ups poised to end on Friday, this was a week to go a little deeper on the ACA.

First, POLITICO’s Paul Demko discusses his reporting on the ACA enrollment period and insurers’ profitability (starts at the 2:25 mark), as well as the health care ramifications of the shifts in the Senate (16:00), with Alabama's Doug Jones and Minnesota's Tina Smith poised to join the Democratic caucus.

Then after the break, Sarah Gollust — a University of Minnesota professor who studies health care and the media and has closely tracked advertising around the Affordable Care Act — joins PULSE CHECK to discuss her latest findings (starts at the 24:20 mark).

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Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Stories referenced on the podcast: 

Paul's story on insurers finally turning a profit on the ACA: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/07/obamacare-profits-health-care-285258

Paul's story on ACA enrollment lagging behind last year: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/12/12/obamacare-sign-ups-enrollment-numbers-218764

Dan's story on Mayo Clinic's rural consolidation, a regional controversy that drew in Tina Smith: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/16/mayo-clinic-rural-health-care-244955

Roundup: ACA enrollment, Doug Jones and Tina Smith

On today's PULSE CHECK, we’re bringing you a bonus conversation that captures this moment in politics and one of the key voices shaping the debate — a discussion with activist Ady Barkan.

A Yale-trained lawyer, Ady worked with the Center for Popular Democracy to push progressive economic policies and reform the Federal Reserve, high-profile battles that led POLITICO to name Ady to our list of 50 leaders and influencers in 2016. 

But Ady's life radically changed after a diagnosis of ALS last year. Now he's fighting to stop Republicans' tax bill and avoid possible cuts to Medicare — an argument that Ady made in a viral video where he confronted Sen. Jeff Flake aboard an airplane over Flake's support for the tax bill

On today's episode, Ady discusses his life, his advocacy work and what average Americans can do to shape the policy debate.

We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app!

Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

BONUS: Ady Barkan, activist and ALS patient

FDA’s influence can be summed up in a simple statistic: About 20 cents of every dollar that Americans spend is on a product — whether food, drug or tobacco — that’s regulated by the agency. But that enormous responsibility has also exposed the FDA to a broad array of critics, including President Donald Trump, who last year bashed the agency’s reviews as “slow and burdensome.”

Trump’s pick to reform the agency? Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, who’s steered FDA since last May to the praise of conservatives — and, surprisingly in this political moment, some progressives who think he’s successfully balanced political pressures with public health priorities.

Gottlieb joined POLITICO’s Dan Diamond to reflect on the agency’s 2017 achievements and why he joined the Trump administration (Starts at the 1:30 mark), the FDA’s nutrition policy and its role in keeping food safe (9:30), whether FDA is approving too many drugs (13:15), his to-do list for 2018 and looming policy priorities (19:00), the ongoing crisis in Puerto Rico and the effect on medical product development (22:10), how his role as a sometime-critic of FDA has squared with running the agency (25:45), FDA’s tobacco strategy (27:15), and a quick lightning round on Gottlieb’s infamous skinny jeans and other not-so-pressing questions (28:15).

Then after the break, POLITICO senior food and agriculture reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich and pharma reporter Sarah Karlin-Smith analyze Gottlieb’s comments and discuss the looming challenges for the agency. (Starts at the 30:00 mark.)

We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app!

Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Stories referenced on the podcast:

Matthew Herper’s review of Gottlieb’s top articles for Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2017/03/10/the-best-stories-scott-gottlieb-the-next-fda-commissioner-wrote-for-forbes/#5e1234d1c523 

Gottlieb’s January 2016 article on the need for FDA to change its regulation of novel technologies: https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottgottlieb/2016/01/12/fda-needs-to-change-how-it-regulates-novel-technologies/#45a8b372191e

Sarah’s look at what’s ahead for pharma in 2018: https://www.politico.com/newsletters/prescription-pulse/2018/01/03/pharma-weathers-storm-over-drug-prices-may-shift-tactics-062669 

Helena’s article, “The Great Nutrient Collapse,” one of POLITICO’s most-read stories in 2017: https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/13/food-nutrients-carbon-dioxide-000511

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb

The health care business world gathered at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference this week, with thousands of attendees haggling over deals and gossiping over drinks in San Francisco.

One of the standouts at the conference: venture capitalist Bob Kocher, a doctor and Obama administration alumnus known for his provocative thinking and Silicon Valley influence. At Venrock, Bob focuses on health IT and services, with investments in companies like Aledade, Castlight, Stride Health and Zenefits.

Speaking with POLITICO’s Dan Diamond, Bob discussed his approach to investing in health care (Starts at the 1:20 mark), how he got into venture capital (8:15), the difference between innovating in government and the private sector (13:45), the sector’s never-ending job growth (17:15), how the current administration is affecting the health care market (21:15) and his 2018 predictions (28:00). There’s also a quick lightning round at 30:15.

Then after the break, Dan caught up with Victoria Colliver, POLITICO’s California correspondent for health care, on how the JPM conference went and the biggest health policy stories coming out of the state this year. (Starts at the 32:15 mark.)

Note: This podcast was recorded on location, and that’s why the audio sounds rougher than usual.

We’d appreciate your help: Please share PULSE CHECK and rate us on your favorite podcast app!

Have questions, suggestions or feedback? Email ddiamond@politico.com.

Stories referenced on the podcast: 

Dan’s story, with Bob’s quotes, on the ACA’s failure to cut jobs: https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2016/07/what-is-the-effect-of-obamacare-economy-000164

Bob’s predictions for health care in 2018: https://www.cnbc.com/2017/11/27/venrocks-health-investors-make-predictions-for-2018.html

Victoria’s story on California’s effort to shore up the ACA: https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/01/obamacare-california-new-york-coastal-244386

Live from JPM: Venture capitalist Bob Kocher

Weekly conversations with some of the most interesting and influential people in health care, hosted by POLITICO Pulse author Dan Diamond. (NOTE: Our SoundCloud page is defunct, and we've moved our production to Simplecast. https://simplecast.com/podcasts/3784/)

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