Susan writes:
A large US insurer provides only a manual/hand pump (outside of covering a
rental for certain medical circumstances such as baby in the NICU,
etc--the rental is not covered for back to work) and all women are given a
manual pump when discharged from the hospital after birth as compliance with
the new law to provide breastfeeding equipment as needed..
There's a lot of controversy among LCs, MDs, etc about this, both pro and
con.
So, what do you think?
~~~
I think it's a form of malpractice, although I know insurance companies are
not health care professionals, and they are certainly not qualified as
professional lactation assessment /care persons. ( Problem: I'm not sure they
know that.) Would an insurance company "allow" only a cane for a patient
who has a condition in which their legs don't work normally, and they need
crutches, or a wheelchair? If that person fails to regain normal function
because they never got the right equipment or care, that should be malpractice
too. It seems as if insurance companies think they are experts in
lactation and can make decisions, whereas they would never arbitrarily and
ignorantly do that is other areas of personal and public health. Giving moms
inappropriate pumps, rather than having someone reputable actually discern what
IS appropriate for the situation, and providing the right "durable medical
equipment" for the mother/baby dyad should be the standard of care. It's
been very frustrating to see mom with even more inappropriate pumps than
before, simply because that was the free pump from the insurance company. I
suggest to all moms to let their insurance company know that pump was
inappropriate and created problems, in writing.
Peace,
Judy
Judy LeVan Fram, PT, IBCLC, LLLL
Brooklyn, NY, USA
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