Rep. Susie Lee's Bipartisan Newborn Care Improvement Act Passes House

Statement

U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03) released the following statement after the passage of her bipartisan bill with Democratic Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.-06) and Republican Reps. Doug Collins (Ga.-09) and Jackie Walorski (Ind.-02), the Newborn Care Improvement Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, which extends newborn health coverage for new veteran mothers, passed as a provision of the Deborah Sampson Act, Rep. Julia Brownley's (Calif.-26) comprehensive legislation to support servicewomen and women veterans.

"On the heels of Veterans Day, we are reminded of the importance of honoring the great sacrifices that our veterans have made for our freedom," said Rep. Lee. "The Newborn Care Improvement Act honors our veterans with real action to help them and their families get the maternal care they need. No new veteran mother should worry about where her newborn will receive care in the days following birth. This bill eases those burdens by doubling the length of time that new veteran mothers have to access hospital care, and helps give veteran families greater peace of mind and stability as they welcome a new baby to their family. Thank you to my Republican and Democratic House colleagues for supporting all women veterans by passing this bipartisan bill, and I'm hopeful that my Senate colleagues will support this bill should it come to the Senate floor for a vote."

BACKGROUND: Ahead of Mother's Day this year, Democratic Reps. Lee and Houlahan joined Republican Reps. Collins and Walorski to give veterans--particularly mothers--more peace of mind by introducing the Newborn Care Improvement Act. This bipartisan bill would extend coverage of newborn health care for children of veterans. Currently, veterans are only eligible to receive seven days of newborn care, after which they must find and sign up for health insurance for their newborn. This bill would double that available time to 14 days of care, providing additional time for veterans to find the best health coverage, especially during a high-stress period.

U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) introduced the companion bill in the Senate earlier this year.

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