CANONSBURG — Making preventative supplements available to families could prevent more than 80% of peanut and egg allergies and save taxpayers millions, according to testimony given today at a Senate Majority Policy Committee public hearing.
Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46) invited the committee, chaired by Sen. Dave Argall (R-29), to Canonsburg to hear from local medical professionals and allergy advocates. According to 2023 census data, approximately 1.3 million Pennsylvanians are afflicted with a food allergy.
“Today’s hearing showed us what doctors and researchers have been saying — too many children are developing lifelong food allergies that could have been prevented,” Bartolotta said. “By listening to medical experts, we can take practical steps to give families access to early, proven interventions. This will improve childhood health, lower long-term health care costs and support Pennsylvania agriculture at the same time.”
“I know from my own family’s experience that food allergies can be a serious burden,” Argall said. “Prioritizing preventive care could save thousands of families from the strain and cost that comes with managing a lifelong allergy.”
Bartolotta discussed legislation she introduced to assist families with preventing food allergies. Her bill, Senate Bill 978, would require no-cost health insurance coverage for early peanut and egg introduction dietary supplements for infants.
Kelly Cleary, medical director and vice president of heath and education for Food Allergy Research and Education, described how allergies are on the rise across the nation. Over the past 20 years, the rate of children with a food allergy has grown by 50%, with rates of peanut and tree nut allergies rising by 300%. Every 10 seconds, a food allergy reaction sends a patient to the emergency room. The average cost of a child with a peanut allergy is more than $7,200 per year from ages one to 18.
Groundbreaking studies in 2015 and 2019 showed that the early consumption of peanuts and eggs reduced the risk of developing these allergies by more than 80%. Food Allergy Research and Education’s written statement noted, “When prevention of food allergy through early introduction is prioritized, the state could potentially save upwards of $4,000-$7,000 per child impacted per year based on estimates of the annual economic burden that food allergy places on families. But, more importantly, you would relieve the substantial psychosocial burden that individuals affected by food allergy face daily.”
Dr. Mary Clare Maninang-Ocampo of Penn Highlands Pediatrics testified that rural health care shortages severely impact specialized allergen care. Rural families are often forced to drive an average of 70 minutes to see a pediatric allergist. For urban families, the average trip is 20 minutes.
Video of the full hearing and written testimony can be viewed on the committee’s website.
CONTACT: Joshua J. Paul