How to Get a Free Breast Pump Through Your Insurance   – Info Computing

No sound transports me back to haze of new parenthood quite like the rhythmic hum of a breast pump. What at first looked to me like a modern torture device quickly became an essential tool in allowing my daughter to be breastfed—it increased my milk supply, relieved pressure, and let me build up a freezer stash for when I had to return to work (or escape the house at all, sans infant).

The breast pump was also one of my bigger-ticket baby care items—the system I used cost about $200. I didn’t realize until much later that I could have gotten a high-quality pump for free, through my insurance, under the Affordable Care Act.

Apparently, many new parents are still in the dark about such rights. A new survey commissioned by Byram Healthcare asked expectant mothers about their knowledge of ACA benefits designed to support breastfeeding, and:

• 42 percent did not know that breast pumps are covered at no cost
• 64 percent did not know that lactation consultant sessions are covered at no cost
• 61 percent did not know that employers must provide breaks for mothers to pump milk

These provisions—which have contributed to rising breastfeeding rates in the U.S., studies have shown—are, somewhat miraculously, still available for now. But with government support of breastfeeding questionable and at least one major insurer slashing breast pump payments, it’s a smart idea to act fast to access to the current benefits. If you are expecting a child, here’s what you need to do to get a free breast pump through your insurance:

Contact your insurance provider

Some insurance providers allow you to purchase a pump from a regular retailer and submit the receipt for reimbursement, but more likely, you will need to use an in-network durable medical equipment provider (DME)—such as Yummy Mummy, Aeroflow, Edgepark Medical Supplies, Lucinia or Byram Healthcare—to place an order. Contact your insurance provider for a list of DMEs that work with your plan.

Other questions to ask your provider:

• What medical documentation do you require? Will I need a prescription from my doctor? You may just need to pull up your insurance record to show that you’re receiving maternity care.
• What’s the maximum cost that you’ll cover? Retail prices of pumps range from about $16 for a basic manual model to $500 for the most technologically advanced designs.
• When will you allow for my pump to be shipped? It’s a misconception that you need to wait 30 days before your baby arrives to order a breast pump through insurance. You can order one as soon as you know your due date, even if your insurance company doesn’t allow for shipment until closer to the delivery, according to Byram Healthcare.
• Do you cover breastfeeding supplies, such as bottles, flanges, storage bags and extra tubing?

Choose your pump

While some of the newest breast pumps aren’t yet covered (like Willow), many DMEs offer popular brands such Ameda Finesse, Evenflo Advanced, Lansinoh Signature Pro, Spectra S2 Plus and Medela Pump In Style. In choosing a pump, the Food and Drug Administration has some guidelines.

A couple of questions to ask yourself: Where will you be pumping? (If you’ll constantly be on the go, you may not want the heaviest, clunkiest model.) Will the breast shields fit you? (You want to make sure that you can replace the shields with a different size or texture if the standard ones aren’t comfortable.)

Also, certain medical issues may require you to use specific type of breast pump, though unfortunately, you probably won’t know the specifics until your baby is born. I needed a hospital-grade system for the first few weeks of my daughter’s life, which my insurance covered.

Order your pump

Follow your insurer’s instructions for ordering your breast pump, whether it’s through a DME or by buying one from the store and submitting a reimbursement form. Either way, the process isn’t too complicated and it’s a benefit worth taking advantage of.