my insurance company, though quite small, has decided they will cover 100% for the rental of ANY type of breast pump. hi yo! while it took me no less than 3 calls on separate occasions to find out if there are any limitations, i was finally informed that there are none, other than picking from a list of their approved contractors. easy, no? WRONG!
they sent me a 1000 page book (i'm not kidding, it was the size of a phone book) of California in-network providers for everything they cover. the Durable Medical Supplies part was 3 pages. so i tore those out and tossed the rest of the book. then i also realized you can just get everything online. which i should have done, because their printed materials are RIDICULOUSLY inaccurate. i spent an entire day calling ALL OF THESE medical supply places:
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and guess what, NONE of them either carry breast pumps (who knew that CPAP machines and compression socks were so popular?) and/or they WERE NOT contracted with my insurance. say what? but i just got your name off my "preferred provider" list from my insurance! well sorry, we actually aren't contracted with them.
then, jackpot. i finally find a place, and send everything in. a week goes by and i hear back- actually we aren't a provider for your insurance. WHAT?! you are listed in 2 different places on my list under 2 different names, both are "preferred!"sorry, we could bill you as out of network? um NO. my deductible would cover the cost of purchasing a pump, so no thanks.
needless to say, this process has been the most frustrating i've ever experienced with a) my insurance company and b) in regards to being pregnant. why not just buy a breast pump? because if i'm already paying for my insurance to rent me one, and a potentially hospital grade one, no less, then i'm going to rent one and save myself $300.
i found yet another place and sent everything in and am now waiting AGAIN for them to call me and tell me they aren't a provider. my insurance company is no help, because they can't look up a medical goods store by what they sell. and every time i call one of their "providers" they either only sell diabetes supplies, or are a medical supply assembly-only facility. what the heck?
keep your fingers crossed for me! much more of this and i'm going to proposition my insurance to outright buy me a pump. one can only hope.
yikes! what a pain! in the meantime if you get stuck without one and want one short term, you can rent one from the hospital for a small fee. its hospital grade and cost 67 a month. of course you are looking to get it covered or rented for you through insurance if you need it for the long run, but in the short term at least its an option. good luck!
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