THE PRESIDENT: A Look Back at Obama’s First Four Years in Health Policy

President Obama was inaugurated last month, launching his second term and providing an opportunity to reflect upon the health policy legislation and decisions in his first term. While obvious focal point is the landmark but controversial Affordable Care Act, which Obama signed in March 2010 and his administration has spent much time implementing, Obama and his administration’s other health policy issues might have received less notice. However, from tackling fraud in government health programs to addressing obesity, the White House’s health policy efforts ran the gamut. Below are summaries of some of those other health policy efforts.

BLOGGER VS. BLOGGER: Will User Fees for Federal Exchanges Be Passed on to Consumers?

Health insurers that offer plans in federal health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act must pay a user fee, according to draft regulations released by HHS, the New York Times reports.

AHL’s TOP STORY: HHS To Charge Insurers in Federal Exchanges a User Fee

Health insurers that offer plans in federal health insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act must pay a user fee, according to draft regulations released by HHS on Friday, the Washington Post‘s “Wonkblog” reports.

AHL’s TOP STORY: Bill To Reauthorize FDA User Fee Programs Clears Procedural Hurdle in Senate

The Senate on Monday cleared a procedural hurdle that paves the way for a final vote today on House-approved compromise legislation (S 3187) that would reauthorize and modify FDA’s prescription drug and medical device user-fee programs, Modern Healthcare reports (Daly, Modern Healthcare, 6/25).

Senators voted 89-3 to end debate on a motion to concur, easily surpassing a 60-vote minimum required for cloture (Khatami, CQ Today, 6/25). Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.) cast the dissenting votes (Strauss, “Floor Action Blog,” The Hill, 6/25).

AHL’s TOP STORY: House Approves FDA User Fee Reauthorization Bill

The House on Wednesday approved legislation (S 3187) that would reauthorize and modify FDA’s prescription drug and medical device user-fee programs, after House and Senate leaders reached a bipartisan deal on the bill earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reports (Burton, Wall Street Journal, 6/20).

BREAKING: Senate Passes User-Fee Reauthorization Bill, 96-1

The Senate on Thursday voted 96-1 to pass legislation (S 3187) that would reauthorize and modify FDA’s prescription drug and medical device user-fee programs.

The vote came after a series of tallies on amendments. In those votes, the Senate voted down a proposal by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) that would allow the U.S. to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada and a proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would remove exclusive marketing rights for drugmakers found guilty of fraud.

Another amendment by  Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) that would require manufacturers of dietary supplements to register and share product information with FDA was tabled.

American Health Line will have more coverage of the vote and its implications.

AHL’s TOP STORY: Amendments Hold Up Senate Reauthorization of User Fee Bill

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) yesterday warned that he would move on to other legislation if a deal is not reached over amendments to a bill (S 3187) to reauthorize and modify FDA’s prescription drug and medical device user-fee programs, The Hill‘s “Floor Action Blog” reports (Strauss, “Floor Action Blog,” The Hill, 5/22).

Reid gave the warning as he set up a procedural vote on the bill for today. He noted that if a deal is not reached, he could file cloture on the measure and move on to other legislation.”[I]f we don’t have something worked out, I think we’re going to have to do some other things and recognize that all the happy talk on this bill might not come to be,” he said.

AHL’s TOP STORY: Senate Panel Advances User Fee Reauthorization Bill; Similar Legislation Stalls in House

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee yesterday approved by voice vote legislation that would reauthorize and modify the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” reports. The bill now heads to the full Senate (Baker, “Healthwatch,” The Hill, 4/25).

AHL’s TOP STORY: Congress Returns Today To Address Several Expiring Health Care Policies

Congressional lawmakers today return from the Easter recess to a slew of hearings intended to address several expiring health care policies, The Hill‘s “Healthwatch” reports.

Tomorrow, the House Judiciary Committee will mark up medical malpractice legislation that would limit non-economic damages at $250,000. The House last month passed a similar bill (HR 5), which included language to repeal the federal health reform law’s Independent Payment Advisory Board. The bill being debated Tuesday does not include the IPAB language, but it would allow the committee to find $39 billion in savings to meet requirements included in House Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) House-approved fiscal year 2013 budget resolution.