Will my insurance cover a breast pump?
The Affordable Care Act now allows it, but you’ll need to see what your individual plan covers.
As part of the Affordable Care Act, many insurance companies now cover quality breast pumps for nursing moms. However, each insurance company varies in what they cover and how they want you to go about getting your pump. Because this can take a while to sort out, it’s best to look into this when you are still pregnant.
Some questions you will want to ask are:
- Will you let me get the pump before I deliver?
- Do you need a pre-authorization?
- Do you need a prescription, and if so, how specific does it need to be (i.e. does there need to be a medical reason or the name of the pump on the prescription)?
- If I want a more expensive pump than what is covered, will you allow me to pay the difference to upgrade?
- If you are out of stock and I need the pump now, will you reimburse me if I buy it at a store?
Reviewed by Dr. Sara Connolly, March 2020
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I wish I knew about this when I was nursing. Breast pumps can be so expensive. It is definitely worth the cost to buy a dependable pump, but having it covered by insurance would be great, especially since there are so many other things we need to prepare for like cost diapers that are purchased for the first several months.