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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