If You Want To Have Kids, Why Should The Rest Of Us Pay For Your Breast Pump?
Breast pumps are now covered under Obamacare. Beth Stebner writes in The Daily Mail (via @Drudge):
The Affordable Care Act means many things for women, including birth control for all policy holders with no additional payment from the patient required.A lesser-known facet of the new so-called Obamacare law is a provision that requires insurance companies to cover the full cost of breast pumps without a deductible or out-of-pocket expense for new mothers.
The cost of these devices is covered in insurance premiums, which in turn are paid by policyholders.
The Washington Post notes that it was pumps, not pills, that caught suppliers off-guard after January 1, when this part of the Affordable Care Act went into law.
The catch for all new mothers is that only certain breast pump models are covered, and they have to be ordered through a licensed provider.
I've been irritated for years that I can't opt out of maternity coverage in my health insurance.
And note how only "licensed providers" can get the money from this. Government feeding government. It's one ginormous taxpayer-funded sagging titty.
I often wonder with things like this the economics of it.
When the 'liscensed providers' bribed, I mean gave campaign contributions to politicians about this, I wonder how much the reurn usually is. I mean Does a 20,000 contribution get a million in new sales, 10 million?
Since the mothers won't be directly paying for them, how much will these select breast pump supppliers pump up their prices. I'd guess under 100% they don't want too look too greedy, but we will see.
Joe J at January 8, 2013 8:07 AM
Actually, I'm pregnant right now and this is all over my birth boards. The whole "only certain breast pump models are covered, and they have to be ordered through a licensed provider" thing is basically a giant loophole: every insurer's licensed provider is perpetually out-of-stock of the specific models covered. One of my boards has over 9,000 women, all of us due in July 2013, and not one of those women has an insurance company that's actually paying for their pump. As for me: I'm covered by Tricare, and Tricare was specifically excluded from the entire ACA.
I strongly believe that this is one of those things that sounds one way on paper, but doesn't actually work the way it's written in real life.
Sarah at January 8, 2013 8:19 AM
I have free health care, I'm Canadian. However, NOWHERE in the OHIP legislation does it say breast pumps are covered. Having worked for insurance providers, I can also tell you that breast pumps are not covered under private health insurance either. (We are able to have both.) It is absurd to make the taxpayer cover the cost of breast pumps. If you can afford to have a child, you should be able to afford a breast pump. Having used them, I know they are relatively cheap. That being said however, since breastfeeding boosts a childs immune system, and one would think a breast pump would promote breast feeding, I would rather pay for a breast pump then the hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical care that one child's illnesses can incur.
wtf at January 8, 2013 10:18 AM
WTF. Your healthcare isn't free.
I saw this yesterday. Massive moral dilemma. I'm pregnant. Just finished registering for baby stuff - and a breast pump was one of the items I registered for. It is about $300.
My insurance premiums went up 50% this year and I've been insurered continuously since I was born and paid my own insurance since I was 18. I've lived in squaller at some points in my life to make those insurance payments.
Now. Do I submit a claim for a pump?
I keep living my life off of principle and I get hosed! But then again, maybe principle over short term gains is a better way to live. Just sucks because personally, I don't think Amy or anyone else should have to pay for this for me. Yet, I am the one payin into the system? Like. A lot.
I can't decide.
Feebie at January 8, 2013 10:52 AM
It isn't free in that we pay for it with our taxes, in that you are correct. However, there are no out of pocket expenses for medical visits, not counting medication, which is covered under private insurance policies.
And if you lived in a country with a public health care system, you wouldn't have needed to worry about living in squalor to make those insurance payments.
wtf at January 8, 2013 10:56 AM
While we're on the topic, can someone explain why the majority of Americans (seems like anyway) are against public heath care?
It just seems silly to me to bankrupt families over medical expenses which can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars for one person, when if a fraction of what was spent on the military went to public health care, it would be a non-issue.
wtf at January 8, 2013 11:03 AM
I'll take private healthcare system over public any day buck-o!
Precisely what separates Americans from wussy ass Canadians (example above).
I am fine living in squallor in my 20s because, that's how it's suppose to be. I wasn't asking for a handout, but how magnanimously self centered of you to think I needed your help or solutions when I didnt ask.
It's not free healthcare. Just as your fellow citizens forced to wait for life saving services and take out second mortgages for a medical broker who can find a US doctor who will perform the life saving procedure for them in half the time.
Free my ass!
Feebie at January 8, 2013 11:26 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/01/08/if_you_want_to.html#comment-3546300">comment from FeebieIt's not free healthcare.
Ours won't be, either -- but the freeloaders will really make out.
A person like me, who has paid every month since her early 20s, will be picking up the cost of some other now-48-year-old who gambled that she didn't need health care and just now came down with some awful disease.
I got health insurance in case I got some awful disease, so I wouldn't have to ask for handouts.
Amy Alkon at January 8, 2013 12:40 PM
You can make many valid arguments against universal government healthcare, but it does mean that there are no longer the freeloaders you speak of, everyone pays through their taxes.
clinky at January 8, 2013 12:58 PM
Back in the day I think a manual breast pump was about ten bucks.
300 freekin bucks fora breast pump? Is this item on the farm price support Bill?
Can I ride this gravy train by opening up a breast milk dairy farm with some of those "free" 300 dollar human milking machines?
Isab at January 8, 2013 1:09 PM
I would rather pay for a breast pump then the hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical care that one child's illnesses can incur.
The evidence suggests breast milk is nutritionally better than formula, but I'm not convinced it's the wonder elixir a lot of people think it is. Some of the evidence on this is very sketchy. At an rate, it seems unlikely using formula will cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses. It might lead to an extra ear infection or two.
Feebie, you probably know already, but there are some good cheaper models available. I just got one for $150.
MonicaP at January 8, 2013 1:13 PM
I don't know all the details, but I think there is a plausible argument that providing subsidized breast pumps is a very good investment. Having access to a pump increases the chance that babies will still be fed breast milk after the mother returns to work. This should result in lower long-term health costs and may also encourage mothers who want to breastfeed to return to work earlier than they would otherwise.
Of course, Sarah has a very good point. It's not at all clear what the actual availability of the pumps will be.
Factual Interjection at January 8, 2013 1:14 PM
Having access to a pump increases the chance that babies will still be fed breast milk after the mother returns to work.
Maybe, but I doubt it. Of the women I know who returned to work within 6 months of giving birth, the issues were scheduling and maintaining milk supply, not access to a pump. One friend was given plenty of breaks and had a pump, but her supply dried up because she had to schedule her pump breaks instead of feeding on demand. Biology doesn't care that you need to answer the phone between 12 pm and 4 pm.
MonicaP at January 8, 2013 1:18 PM
MonicaP- what brand?
I just am so pissed about this. I can buy my own pump, but after paying the increase.... It's really irritating to see freeloaders lined up to take advantage of it!
Grrrrrr
Feebie at January 8, 2013 1:36 PM
"You can make many valid arguments against universal government healthcare, but it does mean that there are no longer the freeloaders you speak of, everyone pays through their taxes."
First of all, there's this moral hazard: If everyone pays the same no matter how much medical care they consume, then a lot of people will go to the doctor every time they've eaten/drank too much, or cut their little finger, or just feel like society isn't giving them the attention they deserved. That's why socialist distribution schemes always end with rationing. Every socialist health care system in the world rations, whether they admit it or not.
Second, if you really think everyone is paying taxes, you are naive at best. Less than half of Americans pay income taxes, and about 40% of the ones who don't actually get money out of the tax system. What about sales taxes, you ask? Doesn't everyone pay these? Poor little naive child. Ever heard of bootlegging? Or fences? Or tax lobbyists? I can assure you that a lot of the entitlement class are paying almost nothing in sales taxes.
(And remember, who is a member of the productive class or the entitlement class does not necesarily correlate to a person's wealth. There are plenty of people in the productive class who are poor, and more than a few of the fabulously wealthy who are in the entitlement class.)
Cousin Dave at January 8, 2013 1:43 PM
I had to rent a hospital grade pump, I think it was $30 a month and could have milked a cow. $30 a month is much less than our insurance went up this year.
I'm considering going Gault this year in protest.
momof4 at January 8, 2013 2:24 PM
"I've been irritated for years that I can't opt out of maternity coverage in my health insurance."
This is interesting, because in Texas I've had the opposite problem. The ONLY plans I've found that cover maternity care (which is the most likely health "event" I'm likely to experience at this point) are through employers. It's nearly impossible to find an idividual policy or a family policy that will cover maternity care here. So, I pay over $800/month to buy insurance (for the kid and me) through the company contracts me to the company I actually work for. If I didn't need the maternity coverage, we could get our family of three covered for around $650/month, with a $2,500 deductible per person.
ahw at January 8, 2013 2:37 PM
You mean Obama wasn't telling the truth when he said our insurance rates wouldn't go up and everyone will be covered. How could he lie about such a thing? </Sarcasm>
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I am just so happy now that all the fools that voted for Obama, twice, and kept the Senate as Democrat controlled, are now seeing what they voted for coming to fruition.
I grant the Republican party isn't much better, but at least there might have been a chance.
But if the country can survive until he's gone, we still might have a chance; but I doubt it.
Jim P. at January 8, 2013 3:01 PM
I don't know all the details, but I think there is a plausible argument that providing subsidized breast pumps is a very good investment. Having access to a pump increases the chance that babies will still be fed breast milk after the mother returns to work. This should result in lower long-term health costs and may also encourage mothers who want to breastfeed to return to work earlier than they would otherwise.
$20 bucks says parents too fucking lazy to get a breast pump on their own will be too fucking lazy to clean it properly leading to little Timmy getting a bacterial infection and leading little Timmy's parents to a settlment check which they spend on beer and cigs and dont invest for Timmy's education
lujlp at January 8, 2013 4:50 PM
But if the country can survive until he's gone, we still might have a chance;
Forget it. You've seen your last republican president. Obama will be succeeded by a democrat, who will be succeeded by another democrat, and so on to the end of time.
The Gone Obsolete Party is finished at the national level.
dee nile at January 8, 2013 5:02 PM
Feebie:
It's the Medela brand, single electric pump.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2588014
I got this one for $150. There are even cheaper ones. The $300 one has all the bells and whistles. I'm not sure how much pump you need. I'll be staying home for a while, so I don't need the best one.
MonicaP at January 8, 2013 7:03 PM
I'm continuing to stock up on everything from bullets to toilet paper to underwear. I figure the dollar to collapse in 15 to 20 months.
Jim P. at January 8, 2013 7:18 PM
I'm asking an honest question: Are breast-pumps a prescription or prescribable item?
If they are strictly a non-prescription item then they will never be provided and perpetually out-of-stock as Sarah describes. If they can be prescribed, then it will be that you need to go to a doctor to get them prescribed.
At some point they'll do the same thing to the doctors that prescribe too many breast pumps like they do with the doctors that run pain clinics.
This is the same thing that was done with sudafed.
Right now some medicines are, or were, available over-the-counter (OTC) at a low price for chronic conditions: insulin for diabetes, formerly Primatene for minor asthma, etc.
There is a slow steady process that is restricting people from self-care, or the standard of care is a cookie cutter and you don't get well.
The idea is that you don't have liberty but you are expected to ask the government or your doctor's permission for the treatment you actually need. If you don't fit in the cookie cutter, you are fucked, because the doctor runs into five patients that aren't in the norm -- he won't be reimbursed.
Jim P. at January 8, 2013 7:50 PM
I'm asking an honest question: Are breast-pumps a prescription or prescribable item?
They're not prescription items. You can get them on Amazon or Babies r Us. Some people have been pushing breastfeeding like it's the cure for cancer.
MonicaP at January 8, 2013 8:12 PM
*****I would rather pay for a breast pump then the hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical care that one child's illnesses can incur.*****
I would rather pay for birth control than a kid whose parents are too stupid or poor to purchase health insurance. If you can't afford insurance, you shouldn't have a kid. And before anyone gets his/her panties in a wad, we're not talking about people who've lost jobs somewhere down the road (although it's called financial PLANNING for a reason, people). But breast pumps/babies. Is this really that hard?
Daghain at January 8, 2013 8:39 PM
Thanks, Monica. I did get the Madela but I may have selected the fancy one and it came with some extras as far as bottles etc. I'll have to check into exactly why it's so expensive.
I'd like to stay home longer than I'll be able to so it's imperative I have the entire travel do-hickey so I can pump on lunch and on breaks at work (groans).
Keeping my fingers crossed that our Plan B works out and I can stay home for a bit. Until then....
I appreciate the link!
Feebie at January 8, 2013 8:48 PM
I bought my own breast pump and find it absurb insurance should cover it. At best insurance covers a hospital-grade rental for parents of preemies in the NICU. Also, I was one of the women that lost their supply when returning to work. I dried up by the time my kids were 3 months both times. It's because my job doesn't make it possible to pump frequently and long enough to try to maintain a supply.
I also agree that breast milk is not this magical potion people act like it is. Most of the supposed benefits are gone by the time the child is a few years old or even right away after they stop nursing. It is an economical method of feeding baby though. I spend around $125 a month on formula for my baby I wouldn't have to if I were able to breastfeed. On parenting forums I belong to women tout breast milk and homeopathy as the best things ever. Every little ailment, just squirt some breast milk on it! Of course, these are the anti-vax and cosleeping crowd as well.
BunnyGirl at January 8, 2013 9:14 PM
@ Sarah "every insurer's licensed provider is perpetually out-of-stock of the specific models covered. One of my boards has over 9,000 women, all of us due in July 2013, and not one of those women has an insurance company that's actually paying for their pump"
Or it could be that this effect just happened and an additional 9,000 people per month times the number of months ahead you are trying to buy it. Not sure why you all need one now when you are only 3 months pregnant.
But like any good when it first becomes available, or in this case radical price change they tend to fly off of the shelves.
Trust me manufacturers who have a guaranteed sale at any price they choose will make more, and tripple the price to uncle sam.
Joe J at January 8, 2013 9:38 PM
Here in Switzerland I got the perscription from the pediatrician. Otherwise my insurance wouldnt have reimbursed it.
NicoleK at January 9, 2013 5:27 AM
"I would rather pay for birth control than a kid whose parents are too stupid or poor to purchase health insurance."
I would rather not pay for any of it. Nobody pays me to be an adult. Why do I have to pay someone else to do the same? What's in it for me?
Cousin Dave at January 9, 2013 7:01 AM
"You can make many valid arguments against universal government healthcare, but it does mean that there are no longer the freeloaders you speak of, everyone pays through their taxes."
This isn't naivete - it's abject ignorance.
Radwaste at January 10, 2013 4:41 AM
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