Ginny has related an incident regarding an insurance company in  
Massachusetts that will not cover the cost of a rental pump for a hospitalized  preterm 
infant. A few things come to mind:
1. can the patents afford to pay for the pump rental themselves?
2. is the mother WIC eligible or receiving WIC benefits? If so, WIC has  
pumps to loan
3. the major pump companies have a limited number of pumps to loan for  
mothers who cannot afford them. Check with Hollister and Medela. Also check with  
local pump rental depots to see if anyone who rents pumps has one to loan in  
this situation
4. the parents should challenge the insurance company ruling and ask how to  
have the claim reexamined. This appeal or grievance should go through the  
department that is responsible for handling appeals
5. the parents should write a letter to the CEO and the complaint  department 
of the insurance company complaining of the rude treatment they  received
6. the parents and health care providers should fill out a complaint form  
and send it to the Massachusetts state insurance commissioner's office,  
informing this office of the refusal for coverage of the pump
7. the parents should contact their state representative and senator and  
complain about the lack of coverage for the pump
8. you and the parents should contact the major Boston newspapers and ask  
that a story be done regarding this issue (Jessica Fargen at the Boston Herald  
[log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask])  and Steve  Smith 
at the Boston Globe [log in to unmask] (mailto:[log in to unmask]) )
9. if the parents have their health insurance through their employer, they  
should complain to the employer. Some employers are self insured and just have  
an insurance carrier administer the paperwork for them. The employer is 
actually  the one who in this situation determines what they will and won't pay for
 
Hope these ideas might be of help
 
Marsha Walker, RN, IBCLC
Weston, MA

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