Martha,

YOur very well written post reminded me of a discussion I had (in which
neither of us was a winner) with an insurance company r/t covering pumps for
a mom who's baby was in the NICU.  She gave me the same party line that a
pump was  a convenience for the mother, and there were other ways to express
milk (like hand expression) so they wouldn't pay for an electric pump.  I
asked her if they paid for the use of electronic fetal monitors in L&D -
which, of course, they do.  I reminded her that there were alternatives to
using a monitor, and they really shouldn't be paying for them since it was
just as efficaious for a nurse to auscultate fetal heart tones (and would
probably save the insurance company money in the end from a decreased
C/Section rate).  This is not to start a discussion about using fetal
monitors - I think that belongs with another list serve - but to help us help
the insurance companies realize they are paying for somethings without
question, while they won't pay for others!

Jan B.