The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law on March 23rd, 2010, and was upheld in the Supreme Court on June 28th, 2012. The Affordable Care Act and Patient Protection is a law meant to reform health care in America by expanding coverage, controlling health care costs, and improving the delivery and systems of health care across the board.
Affordable Care Act
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires most U.S. and legal citizens to have health insurance or face a fine, and also was intended to expand Medicaid to 133% of the federal poverty level (although some states did not adhere to this mandate). The ACA has changed the way policies cover specific services and items; including breastfeeding equipment and supplies.
Per the ACA, health insurance plans must provide breastfeeding support, counseling, and supplies at little to no cost to the patient for the duration of the time the patient chooses to breastfeed. This is especially exciting because previously, breast pumps and breastfeeding services were costly, and hard for most people to afford on top of the already mounting expenses (both medical and otherwise) of having a new baby. These breast pumps, per health care reform, will be covered under “preventative benefits”, meaning they will not be subject to the deductible, coinsurance, copay, or maximum out of pocket. You must be covered on the policy to be eligible for benefits- you cannot get a pump or breastfeeding coverage through your partner, or child’s insurance if you are not covered.
Grandfathered Insurance Plans
Some plans are considered “grandfathered”, which means they are not compliant with health care reform (but will soon be). “If you like your plan, you can keep it” may be a familiar sounding phrase in relation to health care reform, and is in part, true. Mandates state that by 2017 (formerly 2015, but was extended in 2014) insurance plans must become compliant. If you have a grandfathered plan, you may not be covered for services included by ACA.
Purchasing a Breast Pump
If you are not currently covered for breastfeeding equipment and supplies by ACA, you may want to purchase a pump “out of pocket”; this implies you would pay for it yourself. In the event you need to do this, Aeroflow Breastpumps offers a wide variety of top-brand pumps at competitive prices- check them out on our online store.
Affordable Care Act & Breast pumps through insurance
Aeroflow Breastpumps can also help you find out if you qualify for a breast pump at little-to-no cost to you through insurance. Simply complete our Qualify Through Insurance form and one of our Breastpump Specialists will work directly with your insurance provider and physician to determine your coverage. Your dedicated Specialist will contact you within 3-5 business days to discuss your pump options and network status.
If you have questions about the Affordable Care Act or getting your breast pump through insurance, give our Breastpump Department a call today at 844-867-9890.
Information provided in blogs should not be used as a substitute for medical care or consultation.
