Congress·In Committee·S. 1562

Congress Moves to Extend Preterm Birth Research and Order National Study on Premature Birth Costs

PREEMIE Reauthorization Act of 2025

11 months ago·View on Congress.gov

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

Congress would extend federal support for research on preterm labor and care for premature and low-birthweight babies through 2029.
The Health and Human Services Department would be required to set up an interagency working group within 18 months to coordinate work across the government.
Health and Human Services would hire the National Academies to study premature births and report back within 2 years.
The study would look at the real-world costs for families and society, including neonatal intensive care stays, long-term needs after discharge, and ongoing medical expenses.
The study would also review what drives preterm births and what programs and research might help prevent them or carry more pregnancies to full term.

HealthcarePrescription Drugs

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(2)

Chronic Illness

Neutral

Medicaid

Neutral

Positive Impacts(2)

Pregnant

Helps

Child Tax Credit

Helps

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

May 1, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

May 1, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 30 days after the bill becomes law

National Academies convenes an expert committee on premature births

Experts start reviewing what drives preterm birth and what supports families need, which can shape future recommendations and funding priorities.

No later than 18 months after the bill becomes law

Health and Human Services creates an interagency working group on prematurity

Federal agencies coordinate so research, public health programs, and data-sharing are less fragmented, which can speed up practical improvements in care.

No later than 24 months after the bill becomes law

National Academies sends its final report to Congress and Health and Human Services

The report will lay out the biggest cost drivers (like NICU stays), prevention opportunities, and best practices—often used to justify new programs or changes in how care is delivered.

FY 2025 through FY 2029

Federal prematurity research authorization continues through fiscal year 2029

Researchers and agencies have continued permission to run or fund prematurity-focused work, which supports multi-year studies that can lead to new treatments and guidelines.