[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 162 (Thursday, November 14, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 S.252, THE PREEMIE REAUTHORIZATION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 12, 2013

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the PREEMIE 
Reauthorization Act, bipartisan legislation I introduced with 
Congressman Leonard Lance to expand research, education, and prevention 
of preterm birth. This legislation will reauthorize important programs 
created by the first PREEMIE Act, which I championed in 2006.
   November is Prematurity Awareness Month, and it has come with good 
news. Just days ago, the March of Dimes announced that the preterm 
birth rate in America dropped for the sixth consecutive year to 11.5 
percent largely due to the original PREEMIE Act.
   But each year, half a million babies are still born prematurely. 
Preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn mortality and the second 
leading cause of infant mortality. Babies born even a few weeks too 
early can require weeks to months of hospitalization after birth, and 
premature birth can sometimes lead to developmental delays and 
disability later in life.
   In addition to the emotional and physical toll of prematurity, there 
are significant health care costs to families, medical systems and our 
economy. A report by the Institute of Medicine found the cost 
associated with preterm birth in the United States was $26.2 billion 
annually, or $51,600 per infant born preterm. While employers, private 
insurers and individuals bear approximately about half of the costs of 
health care for these infants, 40 percent is paid by Medicaid.
   We are making great strides in reducing infant mortality-the U.S. 
infant mortality rate fell by 12 percent between 2005 and 2011, in part 
due to the decline in premature births. Unfortunately, we still fall 
far behind the majority of other developed countries, and this is 
something we have the power to change with continued research and 
prevention.
   The PREEMIE Reauthorization Act will help us learn the causes of 
premature birth by requiring the HHS Advisory Committee on Infant 
Mortality to develop a report that identifies research gaps and 
opportunities to implement evidence-based strategies to reduce preterm 
birth rates. Appropriate representatives of the National Institutes of 
Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Health and 
Services Administration should be involved in developing this report 
along with the experts from the Advisory Committee.
   In my Congressional District, Stanford University teamed up with the 
March of Dimes to establish the transdisciplinary March of Dimes 
Prematurity Research Center in 2011. These NIH-funded researchers are 
bringing cutting-edge medical discoveries from the lab to the bedside. 
In the last two years, they've made new discoveries that reduce preterm 
birth and made great strides in ensuring that the tiniest preemies are 
given the best chance at life.
   The PREEMIE Reauthorization Act passed the Senate unanimously on 
September 25th and I ask my colleagues in the House to follow their 
lead and send this bill to the President's desk for his signature.

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