Rep. Susie Lee’s Bipartisan Newborn Care Improvement Act Passes Committee

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (Nev.-03), a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, released the following statement today after the committee passed her bipartisan Newborn Care Improvement Act, a bill she introduced with Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.-06), Doug Collins (Ga.-09), and Jackie Walorski (Ind.-02). The bill was included as a provision of the Deborah Sampson Act, which passed the committee today. The Newborn Care Improvement Act would extend coverage of newborn health care for children of veterans.

"Our veteran mothers and families deserve the best maternal care possible," said Rep. Lee. "With the stress of starting a family, no new veteran mother should worry about where her newborn will receive care in the days following birth. Doubling the length of time that veteran mothers have to access care eases those burdens. It allows a mother and her newborn time to focus on their health and find the health insurance that works best. Thank you to my colleagues for helping me introduce and pass this bipartisan bill out of committee."

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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