If you're planning to nurse your new baby, you'll likely need a breast pump to express milk for your child's feedings. Breast pumps allow you to maintain your milk supply while you're away from your baby. They also make it possible for spouses, family, and caregivers to feed your baby.
Most insurance policies are required to cover the cost of a breast pump for their nursing customers. Here are a few things you need to know about getting a breast pump covered by insurance.
1. You May Be Limited as to What Breast Pump You Can Select
Each insurance policy has its own rules for covering breast pumps. Some will only cover a certain type or brand a pump, while others will reimburse you for the price of a breast pump up to a certain dollar amount. Or, you may be given a list of covered breast pumps that you can choose from.
2. You Might Need Authorization From Your Doctor
Before your insurance company will pay for a breast pump, your doctor may need to submit authorization or a prescription that demonstrates your need for a breast pump. This paperwork might take a few weeks to complete and return, so start the process as soon as possible.
Or, if your insurance company won't provide a breast pump until you give birth, begin the procedures to receive a free pump as soon as you're feeling up to it, even if you don't plan to use your pump for a few weeks. While you wait for your pump to arrive, you can ask to borrow or rent one from the hospital if necessary.
3. Some Insurance Companies Require You to Purchase the Pump from a Specific Provider
It's common for insurance companies to require you to buy the pump from a specific provider, like a retailer that sells medical equipment. If you find a specific breast pump that you like, it's possible that the medical equipment store doesn't offer that exact pump.
You can provide the brand and model and ask if the medical equipment store has a comparable model. Or, be prepared to state what features you're looking for (like the ability to power the pump via a car plug-in or a double pump) so they can suggest covered options that have your chosen criteria.
If you need a certain type of pump due to medical needs (like a stronger, more efficient hospital-grade pump), see if your doctor can specify these needs when they write your pump prescription.
Is your knee stiff and painful every morning when you get out of bed? Perhaps, you sometimes feel a grinding sensation in your knee. If you can relate to this frustrating situation, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis. Thankfully, several treatments are available for this joint condition. Sometimes, physicians recommend patients battling osteoarthritis of the knee take a prescription painkiller. Doctors also often encourage patients to lose weight and start a low-impact exercise program. Swimming and walking are both great forms of low-impact exercise. On this blog, I hope you will discover how to effectively and quickly relieve the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. Enjoy!