How To Get a Free Breast Pump
As many of you know, having a child can be very expensive. We are very thankful that at the tender age of 24 I stumbled upon this site! Living Rich With Coupons has changed our lives. We were still dating and I knew I had to find a way to save money. We had to save up to pay for our wedding on our own and I felt buried in college debt. This is when I started my journey as an Extreme Couponer and since then I can’t imagine life without coupons and being a resourceful, frugal shopper. We are on our way to being 100% debt free and Cindy and LRWC has so much to do with that!
Anyway, I’ve been hearing these rumors from pregnant friends about getting a FREE breast pump through their insurance companies. I told my pregnant sister about this, and after one simple phone call to her insurance, she has a fancy new Medela Electric Breast Pump headed her way! I got thinking, whoa, this is pretty cool, so I did some research and found out it’s true.
As of January 1, 2013, the provision of the Affordable Care Act that demanded insurance cover breast pumps, breastfeeding supplies, and lactation support has gone into effect. That means that all mothers can get these pricey machines covered by their insurance companies with no deductible, no out-of-pocket expense! This really made me excited because I am such an advocate of breastfeeding. I truly believe it’s what’s best for you and your baby, plus it’s FREE…except for the breast pump of course, however that’s why I’m happy to share this tip with you all.
When my first child was first born, I was so unhappy to cough up over $300 for my Medela Breast Pump. She came a month early and we didn’t have a pump yet, so my husband ran out to Babies R Us the day we got home from the hospital and made this big purchase on his own. The pump worked great and I never had problems with it, but that is a lot of money for a young couple to come up with in addition to all the other first-time baby expenses! Thanks to this new Act, most insurance companies are required to cover a pump in it’s entirety, or depending on your coverage, at least supply you with breastfeeding supplies. I called my insurance company, Aetna, and I’m happy to say I’m eligible for a completely FREE breast pump with no deductible, no co-pay and no out of pocket expenses! Woot! Here is some information directly off the Aetna site, that will vary from insurance company to insurance company, but should be pretty standard:
The Women’s Preventive Health Breast Feeding Benefit includes:
- a standard electric pump (non-hospital-grade) within 60 days of birth, once every three years, or
- a manual breast pump within 12 months of birth, if you have not received an electric or a manual breast pump in the last three years, and
- another set of breast pump supplies if you get pregnant again before you are eligible for a new pump.
Aetna provided me with a list of vendors and brands of breast pumps covered under my plan. I will be receiving the Medela Advanced Personal Double Breast Pump, which comes with double pumping kit, original 2-Phase Expression, A.C.power cord, power accessory battery pack, convenient shoulder bag with integrated cooler bag with ice packs, breast milk containers and shields, instructions and warranties. This pump is selling at this adult store.
So, if you’re a mother to be or know someone expecting, PLEASE share this tip with them or give your insurance a call. The worst that can happen is you find out you’re not covered, but more likely than not you’ll receive something. And please, if you’re on the fence about breastfeeding…give it a shot! It’s the best “challenge” I ever overcame, because it was hard in the beginning, however once I stuck with it and didn’t give up, it became pure joy and ease and such a neat bonding experience with my little girl. It saved us a TON of money too!
How many of you have looked into receiving a FREE breast pump?
If you are new to couponing, you may want to check out the Couponing for Beginners section where you will find a lot of answers to your questions.
