> Some people asked:  Why not donnor milk?
>
> Answer:  Her family can not afford it and is just getting by with
> buying the
> formula.  I tried to get WIC into the situation but her husband makes
> more
> than their cut off.  But that does not mean that they are mot
> struggling on
> one income for California - San Framcisco.

Summer,

I will post to the list because this info may be helpful for others
trying to get donor milk for other moms, but please feel free to email
me privately.  I would also be willing to speak to you over the phone.

Some states, and I'm not sure if CA is one have them, have what is
known (or rather unknown) as a "Medicaid Spend-down."  This is where
the family makes too much money to qualify outright for Medicaid, but
if their other medical bills exceed a certain amount (not sure exactly
what it is, but usually in the tens of thousands) Medicaid will pick up
the tab after a certain "premium" is paid.  This premium varies based
on the amount owed and income available.  Total medical bills include
cost of private health insurance, doctor visits, the baby's birth.
Children can even qualify prenatally and only have to meet the premium
once.

The main problem with getting the spend-down seems to be finding
someone who knows about it.  I would recommend contacting the Medicaid
office at UCSF's Children's Hospital or Packard Children's and seeing
if it is available in CA.

Medicaid will cover donor human milk in many states.  Here in Utah it
requires doctor preauthorization, but then Medicaid will cover it.  I'm
not sure about the San Jose bank, but I know the Denver one considers
themselves national bank and will ship to many other states as well as
accept other state's medicaid.

My family makes "entirely too much money" to qualify for anything here
in Utah.  When we moved here last Dec for my husband to do his PhD,
through a series of bizarre and unfortunate circumstances we lost our
health insurance.  Illegal or not, we were refused private insurance
because I was pregnant at the time, despite the fact that we have many
years of continuous coverage.  Our baby was born in mid April with a
birth defect that was unknown at time of birth.  It caused urosepsis as
well as the need for several surgeries, and other on-going med bills.
About 3 weeks ago we began receiving donor milk.  It has absolutely
saved Jonah from an intense amount of surgery as well as further
infection.  Finally we have met an amount at which they will/have
considered us for a spend-down.  But from what I understand from
speaking to people in various other states spend-down existence and
benefits differ state-to-state.  Also, Medicaid can be retroactive.

Other ways to pay: The milk bank will take a credit card.  They will
also bill private insurance after the first shipment.  And many private
insurances, though of course not mine, will cover donor human milk if
medically indicated.

And then there's always Canada.

Sincerely,
Katie Bredbeck

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