Cohen Urges House to Help Reduce Infant Mortality

[WASHINGTON, DC] – On the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today urged his colleagues in Congress support the PREEMIE Reauthorization Act. Along with the Congressman’s NEWBORN Act and President Obama’s landmark Affordable Care Act, the PREEMIE Act would help achieve the goal of improving our nation’s health outlook and reducing infant mortality rates that remain higher than rates in much of industrialized world. In Memphis, the local infant mortality rate, until recently, even rivaled some third-world countries. Video of the Congressman’s remarks on the House floor is available here.

The Congressman’s remarks as prepared for delivery follow:

I rise in support of the PREEMIE Act reauthorization up for consideration in the House today.

I am grateful to support my fellow Tennessean, Senator Lamar Alexander, by voting in favor of this legislation and co-sponsoring the House version of the bill.

I am also the sponsor of the NEWBORN Act, a bill aimed at reducing infant mortality rates that I am set to reintroduce soon.

My interest in the issue of reducing infant mortality stems from my representation of Memphis, Tennessee and its local rate of infant mortality that, until recently, rivaled that of some third world countries.

The PREEMIE Act’s many provisions aimed at reducing the rate of infant mortality in our country are vital to achieve our goal of bettering the health of our nation’s future.

Like the PREEMIE Act, the Affordable Care Act has made great strides in advancing this agenda by requiring maternity coverage in all health plans.

The United States still has a long way to go in fighting infant mortality—our current rate is 6.1 deaths per thousand while Portugal’s is 2.5 and Japan’s is 2.3 per thousand.

But legislation like the PREEMIE Act, the NEWBORN Act, and the Affordable Care Act put the United States on the right track towards lowering our rates of premature births and infant mortality.