WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) today reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would help newborns suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), a withdrawal condition often caused by use of opioids and other addictive substances in pregnant women.

The Caring Recovery for Infants and Babies (CRIB) Act would allow states to recognize residential pediatric recovery facilities as providers under Medicaid, enabling the facilities to bill Medicaid for the services they offer. The bill does not cost tax payers any additional money, but allows babies to receive quality care in the best setting.

“The consequences of the opioid epidemic are tragic and far-reaching, hurting even the youngest and most innocent members of our society,” Senator King said. “In Maine today, an estimated one in 12 babies is born with drugs in their system. It’s heartbreaking, but there are steps we can take to help them overcome this tragic struggle – one of which is providing easier access to the type of specialized care that will help put mothers and their children on the road to a healthy and successful life. This bipartisan bill will help make the services provided by residential pediatric care facilities more attainable for families, which will make our children healthier, our families stronger and our communities safer.”

Because newborns with NAS require specialized care, caring for these babies can result in longer hospital stays and increased costs. These babies are usually treated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and treatment costs are more than five times the cost of treating other newborns. In Maine, approximately 1,000 newborns – or an estimated 1 in 12 births – were addicted to or affected by drugs in 2015.

The CRIB Act would allow Medicaid to cover these services in residential pediatric recovery facilities in addition to hospitals. An alternative setting to a NICU, residential pediatric recovery facilities offer specialized care and an environment conducive to treating newborns with NAS, as well as counseling for mothers and families that emphasizes family bonding.

U.S. Reps. Katherine Clark (D-MA), Evan Jenkins (R-WV), Tim Ryan (D-OH), and Michael Turner (R-OH) introduced a companion bill in the House.

###