I got an interesting call today that I wanted to share because it's a
first for me. The call came in on my personal (and LLL line) but the
woman didn't ask for LLL, just me by first name.

She was calling from our area's largest HMO and wanted to know if I knew
what a Haberman Feeder was. I explained it to her and then asked why she
was interested. She said they had received a claim for payment for an
electric breastpump rental and Haberman feeders but didn't know what they
were (the feeders). I asked if the pump rental was covered but she said
no, it wasn't. Grrr . . . I faxed her a picture of the feeder along with
a note that I would be happy to provide facts and figures on how
breastfeeding can reduce health care costs for HMOs.

Non-payment for pump rentals (especially for babies with a health
problem) seems so short-sighted to me, especially as this particular
company pays for preventative health measures such as immunizations. This
company has also recently taken several cost-cutting measures such as
reducing the number of prescription medications they cover. Just the
savings generated by less ear infections (lots in our area, everywhere I
guess) would make it worthwhile IMHO.

If I do get a response to my offer to provide information on reducing
health care costs (I rather doubt it though) I may be posting a request
for more information, we'll see what happens.
--
Kim Balzer
La Leche League Leader
Student Lactation Consultant
The Milkie Way Breastpump Rental Station
Sebastopol, CA USA