A new wave of Democratic doctors are trying to seize on public concerns about reproductive health and medical costs to flip control of the House this fall, Victoria reports.

Why it matters: Physician-lawmakers have traditionally led efforts to boost Medicare provider payment rates and used their real-world experience to weigh in on issues like access and affordability.

• The aspiring freshmen could offset the retirements of senior Republicans like Brad Wenstrup, a podiatrist on Ways and Means who was elected in 2012, and Michael Burgess, an OB-GYN and Energy and Commerce member who's completing his 20th year in the House.

State of play: At least six Democratic doctors are running for competitive House seats this cycle, several of whom are state legislators and are building their brands around addressing the high cost of health care.

• "It's a kitchen table issue," said Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor and Arizona state representative, who is trying to flip Rep. David Schweikert's seat. "People spend a large amount of their monthly income on health care costs."
• Kelly Morrison, an OB-GYN and Minnesota state senator who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for Rep. Dean Phillips' seat, told Axios she wants to expand the list of drugs subject to Medicare price negotiations and apply the insulin price cap to the commercial market.
• She's also emphasizing her abortion rights credentials in a year when reproductive health is front and center. (Sen. Roger Marshall and Burgess are also OB-GYNs, but are anti-abortion.)

Other candidates include Maxine Dexter, a pulmonary and critical care doctor running in a crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer, and Tim Peck, an Indiana emergency physician, running to flip freshman Rep. Erin Houchin's seat.

While few of the Democrats have grand designs on reshaping the health system, most still support universal coverage as a long-term goal.

Reality check: An M.D. is by no means a guarantee of political success.

• Of the four Democratic doctors who ran for House seats two years ago, only Rep. Yadira Caraveo won, narrowly capturing Colorado's 8th congressional district.

But the number of progressive physicians wading in to national politics has been on the rise.

• "It's health care costs, it's how gun violence affects their patients, the effects of climate change and what that's doing from a public health side, attacks on women's health care," said Shaughnessy Naughton, director of 3.14 Action, a progressive pro-science PAC.

The other side: While several GOP doctors are running for the House this cycle, their messaging to date isn't as squarely focused on health care.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is expanding its reach into health care with a new inquiry into how private equity ownership could be affecting hospital emergency care, Peter reports.

Why it matters: Chair Gary Peters says emergency room doctors across the country have raised alarms to his staff about how private-equity owned physician staffing companies and hospitals could be jeopardizing patient safety.

• He's sent letters to private equity-connected firms that were at the center of the lengthy debate over surprise billing, including Blackstone-owned TeamHealth and Envision Healthcare, previously owned by KKR.

"I am concerned companies that previously engaged in surprise billing may now consider other cost cutting efforts that more directly risk negatively impacting patient safety and care," Peters wrote, citing long wait times and thin staffing in ERs.

• Other companies contacted include Apollo Global Management, US Acute Care Solutions and Lifepoint Health.

Don't forget: The homeland panel recently advanced a measure aimed at cutting off U.S. funds for certain Chinese biotech companies deemed national security threats.

• Peters said cost-saving measures in emergency care could put U.S. emergency preparedness at risk.

The other side: TeamHealth said in a statement: "We look forward to engaging with the committee and demonstrating our uncompromised commitment to our clinicians and communities."

• US Acute Care Solutions said it will "gladly participate in [the] committee's work as USACS is confident our physician-owned model of care is in the best interests of patients, physicians and hospitals."

1. Medicare Advantage: CMS finalized 2025 rates for MA plans, following through on a proposed reduction to insurers' base pay over protests from the industry and its allies in Congress.

2. China biotech: Leaders of the House Select Committee on the CCP urged Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a letter to include seven biotech firms on the Pentagon's list of Chinese military companies.

3. Health IT: The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released a draft plan laying out goals for improving health equity and modernizing the public health infrastructure through 2030.

4. Patient consent: HHS officials sent a letter to Medicare teaching hospitals and medical schools affirming they need written patient consent for pelvic and other sensitive examinations, especially under anesthesia.

5. Maternal health: A GAO report found flaws in the way HHS tracks progress addressing maternal and infant mortality in the Healthy Start program.