Bill > S2872

This bill, known as the NAS Healthy Babies Act, requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a non-partisan agency that audits federal spending, to submit a comprehensive report to Congress within one year of the bill's enactment. This report will focus on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), a condition where infants are born with withdrawal symptoms due to drug exposure during pregnancy, and how it is treated under Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income individuals and families. The GAO's report will detail the prevalence of NAS in the U.S., including how many affected infants are eligible for Medicaid and the associated costs to these programs. It will also examine the types of NAS treatments covered by state Medicaid programs, the different settings where treatment occurs (like hospitals or other facilities), how these treatments are paid for, and how often different care settings are used. Finally, the report will identify any federal obstacles to treating infants with NAS, especially in non-hospital settings, and will include recommendations for improving access to treatment through state Medicaid programs.