Affordable Care Act Recap

In case you missed it, it’s now 2016. Six years ago, in 2010, President Obama enacted the Affordable Care Act.

And if, by chance, you’re still not sure what that means and how this legislation impacts your life as a new mother here’s a recap of the items specifically affecting maternity care and breastfeeding.

The Affordable Care Act provides unique coverage allowances to women in the form of prenatal, delivery, and preventative child illness considerations.[1]

Under this canopy breastfeeding gets commensurate attention as the practice has been documented as a highly effective preventative measure for child development and overall health.[2]

Specific services and provisions for breastfeeding include:

• A breast pump is fully covered under most health insurance plans. Byram Healthcare can process your breast pump order through your insurance.
• Breastfeeding support and counseling is covered under most health insurance plans. 

Coverage of breast pumps:

• Your health insurance plan must cover the cost of a breastpump – and may offer to cover either a rental or a new one for you to keep.
• Your plan may have guidelines on whether the covered pump is manual or electric, how long the coverage of a rented pump lasts, and when they’ll provide the pump (before or after birth). But it’s up to you and your doctor to decide what's right for you. 
• In many cases, your insurance plan will follow your doctor’s recommendations on what is medically appropriate. Some insurance plans may require pre-authorization from your doctor to ensure the proper services are provided. Talk to your doctor to find out what this means for you.
• Contact your insurance plan for questions about your breastfeeding benefits. 

Break Time for Nursing Mothers:

The Affordable Care Act amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which covers most hourly wage–earning and some salaried employees. Many employers are required to help their employees who are nursing moms in two ways:

•  Workers must be given “reasonable” break time to pump for a breastfeeding child, as frequently as needed by the nursing mother, for up to 1 year after the child’s birth.
• Women who need to pump or nurse must be given a private space. This space cannot be a bathroom.

Hopefully, this overview (and bullet points taken directly from here) helps to explain how the Affordable Care Act can actually impact your life and your dollars.

For further reading, please visit:

https://www.healthcare.gov/what-are-my-breastfeeding-benefits/

http://www.dol.gov/whd/nursingmothers/

http://www.hhs.gov/healthcare/facts/timeline/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/BF-Guide-508.PDF

*This blog is informed by our resident moms-in-the-know and not by medical professionals. This blog is intended to share the wisdom of experienced moms but never to replace the advice and insight of your doctors. Always consult proper and licensed medical professionals when making any decisions about your health and the health of your children. 

[1] ASPE Computation using 2011 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)

[2] Strategies to Prevent Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases: The CDC Guide to Strategies to Support Breastfeeding Mothers and Babies. See also: Ip S, Chung M, Raman G, et al. Breastfeeding and maternal and infant health outcomes in developed countries. Evid Rep Technol Assess. 2007(153):1-186.