HUNTINGTON — West Virginia representatives introduced legislation this week in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives aimed at helping the smallest victims of opioid addiction.
The Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act, authored by Rep. Evan Jenkins, R-W.Va., will expand knowledge of care for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, including the prevalence of NAS in the United States, the number of NAS babies covered by Medicaid, the settings for care for NAS babies, and access to care for NAS babies under state Medicaid programs.
The bill, also known as the NAS Healthy Babies Act, directs the Government Accountability Office to identify any federal obstacles to care for NAS babies.
The House Energy & Commerce Committee voted on the Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act, HR 4978, during a markup Wednesday morning, and the bill is now up for vote on the House floor.
U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Angus King, I-Maine, introduced the bill in the Senate Friday.
Newborns with NAS require specialized care which can result in longer hospital stays and increased costs. A recent study found that these costs - most of which are being paid by Medicaid - can be more than five times the cost of treating other newborns.
Jenkins was a leader in establishing Lily's Place in Huntington, which cares for babies with NAS after they are approved to leave the hospital, providing vital care as the babies recover. Lily's Place also provides education and support for parents and caregivers.
"I am working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass solutions to the opioid crisis," Jenkins said in a release. "Nearly every community in every state has been impacted by heroin and opioid addiction, and newborns are the most vulnerable victims of this epidemic.
"The committee's approval of this bill clears the way for it to go to the House floor for passage, and I hope the House will vote on this critical legislation soon."
Capito said communities across America are dealing with the devastation of the drug epidemic, and babies born with addiction are the smallest and most vulnerable victims.
"In order to help these babies, we must expand our knowledge of neonatal abstinence syndrome, better understand its effect on our health system, and increase access to care," she said in a release.
"In West Virginia and across the country, the NAS Healthy Babies Act will give us necessary information to help those struggling from addiction in their earliest days a new lease on life."
Jenkins introduced the Cradle Act in October in the House, which also aims to improve care for babies born with NAS. Capito and King introduced the bill in the Senate in February.
The Cradle Act directs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to establish new guidelines for residential pediatric recovery centers that treat babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Similar guidelines exist for hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities.
The Cradle Act also recognizes the importance of counseling, specialized training and other activities that encourage bonding between infants and new mothers.
Both acts have bipartisan support in Congress.
