I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5369 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the Healthy Start 

for Infants Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 26, 2016 

Mr. RYAN of Ohio (for himself, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. JENKINS of West Virginia, 

Mr. CONYERS, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. QUIGLEY, Ms. 

MOORE, Mr. CUMMINGS, and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize the 

Healthy Start for Infants Program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Healthy Start Reau5 thorization Act of 2016’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Department of Health and Human 

2 Services puts the national infant mortality rate at 

3 5.96 deaths per 1,000 live births. 

4 (2) Despite national reductions in infant mor5 tality, a racial disparity in infant mortality rates ex6 ists in every State and territory, with non-Hispanic 

7 Black infants more than twice as likely to die before 

8 their first birthday than non-Hispanic White infants. 

9 (3) Infants born to low-income women are more 

10 likely to die before their first birthday than infants 

11 born in higher-income households. 

12 (4) The three leading clinical causes of infant 

13 death are prematurity due to preterm birth and low 

14 birthweight, birth defects, and sleep-related deaths. 

15 (5) The most recent data from the Centers for 

16 Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 

17 the rate of preterm live births is twice the national 

18 rate for African-American women, 1.5 times the na19 tional rate for American Indians and Alaskan Na20 tives, and 1.4 times the national rate for Latinos. 

21 (6) The long-term medical and social services 

22 associated with low birthweight infants and children 

23 born premature cost American taxpayers $26.2 bil24 lion per year, with first-year expenses for the small25 est surviving babies averaging $273,900. 


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1 (7) Employers pay 12 times more in health care 

2 costs for babies born with complications, and pre3 natal interventions that result in full-term birth save 

4 employers $49,760. 

5 (8) Women can reduce the risk of mortality to 

6 their infants if they have access to culturally appro7 priate, accurate information from trusted providers 

8 about how to improve their health practices and be9 haviors during preconception, pregnancy, and 

10 postpartum. 

11 (9) For 25 years, the Healthy Start for Infants 

12 Program has identified and addressed the aforemen13 tioned knowledge gaps, clinical contributors, and up14 stream social and generational factors leading to in15 fant death, targeting communities with infant mor16 tality rates at least 1.5 times the national rate with 

17 the effect of reducing the prevalence of infant mor18 tality in Healthy Start communities to below the na19 tional rate. 

20 (10) In collaboration with its partners, includ21 ing the National Healthy Start Association, March 

22 of Dimes, and the Fetal and Infant Mortality Re23 view Program, the Healthy Start for Infants Pro24 gram has recognized that a relationship-centered, 

25 community-based approach to the early delivery of 


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1 coordinated services to women and families as well 

2 as an ongoing, comprehensive approach to women’s 

3 health care improve perinatal outcomes. 

4 SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF HEALTHY START FOR IN5 FANTS PROGRAM. 

6 Subsection (e)(1) of section 330H of the Public 

7 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254c–8) is amended— 

8 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘2008’’ 

9 and inserting ‘‘2017’’; and 

10 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘2009 

11 through 2013’’ and inserting ‘‘2018 through 2022’’. 

Æ 


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