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Electric breast pump--expense covered by Blue Cross PPO insurance?

Lady I know will need to express breast milk with an electric pump so her husband can feed the baby when she is away at work. The baby is not premature and is a normal infant. Will the cost of the pump be covered as a medical expense by the above insurance company, i.e. will they reimburse the family for some/all of the costs?

Public Comments

1. Mine didn't and my dd was premature, but I was not with Blue Cross at the time. BUT the benefits to the baby, (perfect food supply, anitbodies, no or lower cost of formula, etc) is worth it in the long run. Not sure what they run today, but the cost of formula has got to be so much more than the pump itself. AND be sure to splurge for the dual pump, uh, to express both at the same time, sooo much quicker, and they usually come with a built in cooler section to store the milk in, if she is pumping away from home.
2. possibly, if you can get the pediatrician to write a letter, it will help. Mostly it's not, though. Honestly, I've never met a mom who successfully long-term pumped while at work, more than a couple months, because your milk production just drops to the floor when you do that. She can RENT a pump on a monthly basis, from the hospital - it will still be cheaper than formula, and I could also recommend that for less than $50, she can BUY a manual Avent Isis pump, which is the fastest, most comfortable manual pump on the market - I like it better than an electric pump.