|
The ideas and innovators shaping health care | | | | |  | | By Carmen Paun, Ben Leonard, Erin Schumaker and Evan Peng | | | | | 
Two Democrats have the apocalypse on their minds. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images | Democrats in the House and Senate want Congress to prepare for the worst. Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Anna Eshoo of California recently introduced two bills that would empower the federal government to research the health impacts of nuclear war and promote the safe use of artificial gene synthesis, a genetic engineering technique that creates DNA. U.S. adversaries could use gene synthesis to mass produce a virus or another type of pathogen that could spark a new pandemic, the lawmakers believe. “Deadly viruses can now be made from scratch using artificial gene synthesis, and nuclear weapons can cause severe health impacts beyond the immediate devastation,” Eshoo, the ranking member on the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, said in a statement. The Health Impacts of Nuclear War Act would: — Commission a research program and direct the Department of Health and Human Services to evaluate U.S.preparedness — Launch an investigation into a nuclear war’s health effects — Ensure that resources are dedicated to understanding such a war’s impact The damage from nuclear war, a growing concern considering Russia’s threat to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine, would extend well beyond the blast radius. Soot could reduce sunlight, global temperatures and precipitation, jeopardizing food production worldwide. It could also damage the ozone layer, exposing humans to extreme radiation, say the two lawmakers. The Securing Gene Synthesis Act would: — Direct HHS to assess the uncertainties, risks, costs and benefits of different regulations of gene-synthesis products — Require gene-synthesis makers to follow screening protocols for their products — Mandate that any federal entity buying gene-synthesis products purchase them only from suppliers compliant with the screening regulations
| | | | JOIN 7/27 FOR A TALK ON WOMEN LEADERS IN THE NEW WORKPLACE: In the wake of the pandemic, U.S. lawmakers saw a unique opportunity to address the current childcare system, which has become increasingly unaffordable for millions of Americans, but the initial proposals went nowhere. With the launch of the Congressional Bipartisan Affordable Childcare Caucus in May, there may be a path to make childcare more affordable. Join Women Rule on July 27 to dive into this timely topic and more with featured speakers Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Reshma Saujani, Founder & CEO of Moms First and Founder of Girls Who Code. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | 
Nā Pali Coast, Hawaii | Evan Peng | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. No magic bullet: People who've taken Ozempic for more than a year told NBC News that they still have to exercise and eat well while taking the anti-obesity drug. But they also reported side effects like vomiting, fatigue, headaches and stomach cramps went away after a while. 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, host Kelly Hooper talks with Robert King, who moderated POLITICO's Next Generation of Health Care Therapies event, about what the event's panelists think the future will hold for rare disease treatments, including how gene therapy might hold the key to effectively treat rare genetic diseases and alleviate future chronic diseases.
| | | | | | | 
Hackers have targeted health care organizations, and reaped big rewards. | AP Photo | | | $10.93 million The cost of a health care data breach
| | | Data breaches are more costly in health care than in any other sector, a new report from IBM and the Ponemon Institute found. They put that cost per breach, on average, at $10.93 million, nearly double what breaches typically cost the next-highest cost group, the financial sector, at $5.90 million. Breaches in the pharmaceutical industry ran $4.82 million, the report said. It’s the 13th year in a row that health care topped the list, according to IBM’s figures. And the cost has risen steadily. In 2020, an average breach cost about $7.13 million, meaning the average cost grew more than 50 percent in just three years. “With medical records as leverage, threat actors amplify pressure on breached organizations to pay a ransom,” IBM said in a release. “Across all industries studied, customer personally identifiable information was the most commonly breached record type and the costliest.”
| 
| Why it matters: Hackers can hurt health care organizations’ bottom lines and threaten patients’ lives by disrupting care delivery. The breaching of Americans’ personal health data exploded in the first half of 2023, according to a recent POLITICO analysis of HHS data. Health care entities covered by the federal health privacy law HIPAA have reported more than 330 breaches affecting 43 million people to HHS’ Office for Civil Rights as of Sunday, already closing in on 2022’s total of more than 52 million. In Washington: Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, is working on legislation that could set minimum cybersecurity standards in the sector.
| | | | JOIN 7/26 FOR A TALK ON THE NEW ENERGY ECONOMY: Join POLITICO's lively discussion, "Powering a Clean Energy Economy," on July 26 to explore the effectiveness of consumer-targeted policies to boost sustainability and create clean energy jobs. How are the Inflation Reduction Act's provisions faring? Which strategies truly sway consumer behavior? Hear from featured speaker, Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), among other experts. Don't miss this insightful event — register today and be part of the conversation driving America's clean energy future! REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | | | 
AP Photo/Seth Perlman | The United Kingdom is going all-in on electronic cigarettes — which deliver nicotine without the combustion and toxic chemicals — as smoking-cessation tools. The government announced in the spring that it would provide smokers with “swap-to-stop” kits to teach them to vape, along with advice on how to quit smoking – part of the country’s effort to go smoke free by 2030. A worldwide debate: By contrast, POLITICO’s Ashleigh Furlong reports, other countries have cracked down on the devices. Brazil and Panama, for example, have banned e-cigarettes. In the U.S., the FDA has increased vape regulations, primarily focusing on keeping them away from kids. Before the agency authorizes a new product, the manufacturer must demonstrate that it’s “appropriate for the protection of public health” in that it helps smokers quit. Sorting it out: “It’s really a product that’s good for some people and bad for other people,” said Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, an associate professor of evidence-based policy and practice at the University of Oxford. She led a 2022 review that found the strongest evidence yet that vaping works better than traditional nicotine-replacement tools such as patches or gum to help people stop smoking. Even so: Once she started looking at the evidence nearly 10 years ago, Hartmann-Boyce said, the devices have become much better at delivering nicotine. That’s good for people trying to give up smoking but creates a problem with nonsmokers like kids trying vapes for the first time. And not everyone is convinced e-cigarettes are good for most smokers in the long term. Jørgen Vestbo, a clinician and emeritus professor of respiratory medicine at the University Hospital of South Manchester, points to data from clinical trials that show people given e-cigarettes were more likely to use them longer than those using aids such as nicotine gum. Vestbo said population-level evidence shows that as long as you’re addicted to nicotine, you’re more likely to start smoking again. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
