H.R. 4978: Nurturing And Supporting Healthy Babies Act

114th Congress · introduced 2016-04-18 · Health · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2016-04-18 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Jenkins, Evan H. [R-WV-3] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Nurturing And Supporting Healthy Babies Act

Plain summary

Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act or the NAS Healthy Babies Act (Sec. 2) This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), which results from a newborn's exposure to addictive opiate drugs while in the mother's womb. Specifically, the GAO shall report on: the prevalence of NAS, NAS treatment services for which coverage is available under state Medicaid programs, the settings and associated reimbursement methodologies for NAS treatment, the prevalence of utilization of various care settings under state Medicaid programs for NAS treatment, any federal barriers to treating infants with NAS under state Medicaid programs, and best practices for treating infants with NAS. The GAO shall also report on its recommendations for improvements that will ensure access to NAS treatment under state Medicaid programs. (Sec. 3) The bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to exclude abuse-deterrent formulations of prescription drugs from the requirement that manufacturers of single-source or innovator drugs pay additional rebates to state Medicaid programs. (Sec. 4) Under current law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must use predictive modeling and other analytic technologies to identify improper Medicaid claims. The bill prohibits a state agency from using or disclosing such technologies except for purposes of administering a state Medicaid program or Children's Health Insurance Program. A state agency shall have in effect adequate data security and control policies to ensure that access to such information is restricted to authorized persons for authorized uses. (Sec. 5) The bill places $5 million in the Medicaid Improvement Fund to be available beginning in FY2021.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Nurturing And Supporting Healthy Babies Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Jenkins, Evan H. [R-WV-3] · 15 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 4978, Nurturing and Supporting Healthy Babies Act (2016-05-10)

Cosponsors on this site

Ann Wagner (R-MO), Steve Womack (R-AR), Harold Rogers (R-KY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Michael R. Turner (R-OH)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114hr4978.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr4978 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114