FROM THE FOUNDATION

End-of-Life Choices

Trends in end-of-life care show that not only does the care given vary widely from region to region and hospital to hospital, but also patients often don't get the care they prefer. What can be done?

Care Management Puzzle

Chronic diseases and the cost of care are rising. Are disease management programs improving outcomes for patients with complex, chronic conditions?

No Middleman

Under the "direct primary care" model, patients pay a monthly fee for basic medical services. Learn about the history and current landscape of physician practices offering this arrangement.

Prescription Drugs

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Amended FDA User Fee Bill Would Cut Deficit by $370M, CBO Estimates

An amended version of a House bill (HR 5651) that would reauthorize and modify FDA's prescription drug and medical device user-fee programs would reduce the federal deficit by $370 million, according to a Congressional Budget Office estimate, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports (Baker, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 5/29).

Last week, CBO said an earlier version of the bill, approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, would increase the deficit by $247 million over a decade. The new score puts the House bill much closer to the Senate version of the bill, which CBO said would reduce the deficit by $363 million over a decade.

The House is slated to vote on the amended version of the bill on Wednesday, under a suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass. The revised bill, which was amended by Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), modified a provision aimed at getting generic drugs to the market more quickly (Ethridge, CQ Today, 5/29).



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