Brown Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Improve Care for Babies Who Have Been Exposed to Opioids

Press Release

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), along with U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.) and Angus King (I-ME), introduced a bipartisan bill to examine the rising rate and treatment costs of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a withdrawal condition in newborns often caused by the prenatal use of opioids in pregnant women.

"In Ohio, we've been hit with a one-two punch of rising opioid abuse and high infant mortality rates. And the scary reality is, too many infants are exposed to drugs before they are even born," said Brown. "We must learn more about this growing problem, how to treat it, and the financial burden it places on communities."

The Nurturing and Supporting (NAS) Healthy Babies Act will expand current knowledge of NAS and how to care for NAS babies. The legislation directs the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to identify any federal obstacles to care for NAS babies by examining the prevalence of NAS in the United States, the number of NAS babies covered by Medicaid, the types of treatment for NAS, and the costs associated with such treatment.

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. A 2015 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that between 2008-2014, there were no federally-funded projects focused on the prevention or understanding of prenatal opioid use or any costs associated with use of opioids. While opioid use during pregnancy is sometimes medically-appropriate, the rate of NAS and misuse of opioids has risen dramatically. According to the Ohio Department of Health, between 2004 and 2011 NAS increased six-fold from 14 cases per 10,000 live births in 2004 to 88 cases per 10,000 live births in 2011. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, between 2004 and 2013, neonatal intensive care unit admissions for the treatment of NAS rose from seven cases per 1,000 admissions to 27 cases per 1,000 admissions nationwide.

"The Unites States makes up five percent of the world's population, but consumes 80% of the world's opioids," said Dr. Art James, general obstetrician and gynecologist and associate clinical professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. "Increased use (prescription and illegal acquisition) contributes to addiction, individual and family dysfunction, over-dosing, and death. Unfortunately pregnant women are included in these numbers and their use risks "transmitting" this addiction to their babies, so we are also experiencing an epidemic in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. We must control acquisition, maintain family unity, while treating the addicted."

"UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital in Cleveland supports the effort to study neonatal abstinence syndrome and its treatment under Medicaid," said Michele Walsh, MD, Division Chief, Neonatology, UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and William and Lois Briggs Chair in Neonatology, UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital. "Across Ohio, sadly, 10,000 newborns in 2015 had withdrawal conditions resulting from prenatal use of opioids. This act will help add to our understanding of how to care for these vulnerable newborns, who require specialized care as they go through withdrawal in their first days and weeks of life. We need to do much more to prevent the scourge of narcotic addiction in the US and to take care of the tiniest victims and their mothers."

Brown is a champion for improving children's health in Ohio. Last year, the Protecting Our Infants Act, which Brown cosponsored to help prevent and treat prenatal opioid abuse and NAS was signed into law.

In 2014, his landmark legislation to battle against the rise in infant mortality was signed into law by President Obama. The Sudden Unexpected Death Data Enhancement and Awareness Act will build on existing activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve upon the quality and consistency of data collected during death scene investigations and autopsies to better inform prevention and intervention efforts related to stillbirths, Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID), and Sudden Unexplained Deaths in Childhood (SUDC). This collaboration with the states to enhance current methods of data collection across existing surveillance systems will enable doctors and researchers to better track and prevent these tragic losses.

Brown also introduced the Healthy Maternity and Obstetric Medicine Act (Healthy MOM Act). This legislation would create a special enrollment period for pregnant women who need to enroll in or switch insurance coverage outside of the traditional open-enrollment period. Sen. Brown recognizes that women don't time their pregnancies around arbitrary insurance open-enrollment periods, and these individuals deserve access to the care and services that best fit their maternity and prenatal needs.

Brown continues his fight to help treat and prevent addiction. A bipartisan bill cosponsored by Brown that would enable health care providers to treat larger numbers of patients struggling with addiction to opioids passed out of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee last month. The Recovery Enhancement for Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Act would update U.S. law to enable qualified physicians to treat larger numbers of patients struggling with addiction and, for the first time, allow certain nurse practitioners and physician assistants to provide supervised, medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for patients. The bill now awaits action in the full U.S. Senate.

In February, Brown also introduced the Heroin and Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Reduction Act, which represents a comprehensive approach to address the entire spectrum of addiction. His bill would help address the opioid epidemic from prevention to recovery, filling in gaps that would help: boost prevention, improve tools for crisis response for those who fall through the cracks, expand access to treatment, and provide support for lifelong recovery.

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