On the recordNovember 16, 2015
Today 58 babies, 1 baby every 25 minutes, will be born suffering from the same pain adults describe as the worst pain of their lives, the pain of drug withdrawal. Over the last decade, the number of infants born experiencing withdrawal from powerful drugs has grown nearly fivefold. It is a condition called neonatal abstinence syndrome. It results from prenatal exposure to opioids like heroin and prescription painkillers. In States like Massachusetts, we are seeing this happen at a rate three times the national average. In addition to the human suffering, the costs associated with NAS births are staggering. They are five times more expensive than healthy births, totaling $1.5 billion for hospitals in 2012, with 80 percent being paid by Medicaid. But despite the best efforts of doctors, nurses, and others, there is no coordinated response to this crisis. There are no clear best practices for treating these infants, and more research is needed to help understand the problem. That is why I have worked with my colleagues, researchers, doctors, and advocates to introduce the Protecting Our Infants Act, the first Federal bill to take proactive steps in addressing the rise of NAS births. {time} 1745 We were able to pass this bill in the House in September, thanks to the help of my partner on this bill, Representative Steve Stivers.…
