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BOSTON (AP) — U.S. Rep. Catherine Clark says a new report shows the need for a bill she's pushing to help hospitals diagnose and treat newborns suffering from opiate exposure.
Clark said the study funded in part by the National Institutes of Health found that the number of infants born with drug withdrawal has increased from one birth per hour in 2009 to one birth every 25 minutes today.
About 80 percent of the estimated $1.5 billion in health care costs spent treating the infants is paid for with Medicaid dollars.
Clark's bill would help identify the best ways to diagnose and treat newborns exposed to opiates by improving coordination between state and federal health agencies.
The bill is co-sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
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