NAS Healthy Babies Act

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.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov