I have a love hate relationship with medical insurance. Both my husband and I are self employed so the amount of money that we have to pay each month for insurance is seriously insane. We could literally pay a second mortgage with the amount of money we pay for our insurance each month. We’ve talked about getting rid of it all together but after I got pregnant there was no way that was possible.
One of the bonuses of being pregnant and having medical insurance is a free breast pump. Breast pumps can get quite pricey, especially when you are having to buy ALL THE THINGS for your new baby so being able to get a free one is definitely icing on the cake. According to healthcare.gov, “Health insurance plans must provide breastfeeding support, counseling, and equipment for the duration of breastfeeding. These services may be provided before and after birth. Your health insurance plan must cover the cost of a breast pump. It may be either a rental unit or a new one you’ll keep. Your plan may have guidelines on whether the covered pump is manual or electric, the length of the rental, and when you’ll receive it (before or after birth).”
Each healthcare plan is different on how you obtain your breast pump. I obtained my breast pump through a company called Aeroflow, Inc. The process was very simple. I filled out a short qualification form with my insurance info. Aeroflow contacted my insurance to verify my coverage and reimbursement information. Within 3 business days, I was contacted by Aeroflow via email and phone letting me know that I qualified for a free breast pump.
My qualification email stated that they needed a little more info before the breast pump could be processed, “Per your health insurance policy, Aeroflow Breastpumps is required to have a prescription for the breast pump on file before we are able to ship you a breast pump. Please provide your OBGYN’s first and last name as well as telephone number and I will request a breast pump prescription on your behalf.”
Thankfully, I had already obtained a prescription from my doctor so I was able to email it to Aeroflow and get it accepted. If you do not have a prescription, you OB will be more than happy to give you one or you can have Aeroflow contact your doctor and obtain one for you. The same email also sent me a list of breast pumps that were approved as part of my insurance.
The email also had another image that showed breast pumps that I could pay a small fee for an upgrade. Once I chose a breast pump, all I had to do was send them an email with which one I chose and to confirm my mailing address. Within 3 business days, my chosen breast pump was at my door step! The process was extremely easy and fast. I thought it would take weeks for the process but I was able to get it all done in less than a week.
If Aeroflow Inc is unable to help you with your breast pump, give your insurance carrier a call and they can point you in the correct direction. I tried using McKesson about a month ago before Aeroflow, unfortunately they said they do not work with my insurance so I was a bit annoyed. I had a feeling it would be a difficult process. I called my carrier and they sent me a list of medical supply providers in the Dallas area and I was a bit lazy about the process. I didn’t want to have to call each one and figure it out on my own since their websites had no info about breast pumps. Thankfully, I found Aeroflow who did all the work for me.
I put off finding a provider for a long time but quickly realized that it was much simpler than I thought. If you are unable to find a company that works with your insurance at first, be persistent and don’t give up!
Thank you for this article. I found all your advice and suggestions very helpful. I am going to try out some of the products you suggested and see if they work for me.