Insurance paying for carseats?

southpawboston

New member
no, this is not an accident thread.

i just found out from a friend that i used to work with, that our health plan from the university that i worked for (and he still works for) *covers* the cost of an infant carseat when you have a baby! i don't know if there is a cap on how much, but he bought a new snugride and he got 100% reimbursed!

this plan also reimburses for breast pumps, and even gives dads 20 days of paternity leave (in addition to maternity leave). it's a *very* family-oriented plan.

and to think, i worked for the same place and had the same plan back when DD1 was born, and i never bothered to check about the reimbursements!!! :hitselfonhead: i could have gotten a brand new carseat!!! (we had gotten a family handed-down snugride, 2 yrs old). and, i could have gotten reimbursed the $225 we spent on the medella pump-in-style! :whistle:

oh well, i guess the statute of limitations must be up since that was almost 3.5 years ago, so no chance of filing a claim now! :(
 
ADS

azgirl71

CPST Instructor
I have heard of this before, but it is not common. I think it is great. YOu pay premims every month and months could go by before you use your benefits. I think this is a great wasy to pay someonne bcak. Thanks for posting. Well, you know for future children if you decide to have more ;).
 

minismom

Well-known member
Wow, cool! I did check with my insurance about the pump, but they said only if was a medical necessity, I guess if the baby was on NICU or something. I never even thought of asking about the car seat...
 

NVMBR02

New member
Awesome. I have never heard of insurance doing that before. Our insurance did cover my breast pump (I think I had a $20 co pay?) and I had to get it at the medical supply store which was really easy.

When dd was a baby our car insurance (USAA) sent a voucher for $50 toward a carseat, we filled out the vocher and sent in the reciept for the carseat and they sent us $50. The program ended shortly after, it would be great if it was still around though.
 

southpawboston

New member
I have heard of this before, but it is not common. I think it is great. YOu pay premims every month and months could go by before you use your benefits. I think this is a great wasy to pay someonne bcak. Thanks for posting. Well, you know for future children if you decide to have more ;).

i can't take advantage of it for future children... i'm no longer working there.
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
We got the USAA credit, for ds1. At the time of his birth, the Air Force Aid Society was offering either 6 month rental on a breast pump, free, or $200 towards a breast pump, free. I wish that I had taken them up on it, but ds1 wouldn't nurse. Fortunately, my mother purchased mine as a baby gift for ds2.

I do think that insurance companies should cover, atleast partially, the cost of a breast pump, as breastmilk (in general) offers numerous life long benefits, thus saving the insurance companies money.
 

Leila

New member
That's a nice policy!! Our insurance considers car seats to be items of comfort/convenience and/or personal hygiene. :rolleyes:
 

vonfirmath

New member
I have heard of this before, but it is not common. I think it is great. YOu pay premims every month and months could go by before you use your benefits. I think this is a great wasy to pay someonne bcak. Thanks for posting. Well, you know for future children if you decide to have more ;).


*wry* My plan paid plenty for my non-complicated birth this year. I don't feel I need to be paid back.

Nice when you can get it, but not necessary. The cost of having a baby by itself, the possible complications, is enough to want insurance.
 

southpawboston

New member
my current plan, which is BCBS, doesn't offer any freebies like carseats or breast pumps. the only thing they do subsidize (physical objects, not medical care) is bicycle helmets, but those are cheap to begin with.
 
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SusanMae

Senior Community Member
I have BCBS---and they would have paid for the rental of a hospital grade breast pump if it was deemed medically necessary.

Uh---I was having a preemie at Hopkins....it was going to be NO problem to get the neonatologists to say that it medically necessary. Esp after they were telling me that I should BF, even after I said I was going to.

Susan
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
We got the USAA credit, for ds1. At the time of his birth, the Air Force Aid Society was offering either 6 month rental on a breast pump, free, or $200 towards a breast pump, free.

FTR, and very sadly, the AFAS is no longer able to offer this. :(
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
At our last base, they offered a $200 interest free loan for a pump, which was still a nice gesture. But not the same. :(
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
At our last base, they offered a $200 interest free loan for a pump, which was still a nice gesture. But not the same. :(

Yep - and that's all it is, a gesture. It does the poor airman's wives I work with absolutely no good. They are far from home, living on airman's pay, and the last thing they need is to be told they have to go $200 into debt (interest-free or not, and THEY set your payments up for you) in order to continue breastfeeding (keeping in mind that the moms I work with are the ones who need the pump because they're having problems), when they can go to WIC and get formula for free. :thumbsdown: (Yeah, I'm a bit bitter.)

HOWEVER, I have managed to figure out that if they can get their PCP to write them a prescription, Tricare will cover the cost of pump rental under medical equipment. It's not much, but it has worked in the past.
 

Starlight

Senior Community Member
REALLY???

I will have to remember this! Pump RENTAL sucks, but it is definitely something. (Of course, this assumes that your PCP is "intelligent" enough to write a script for it, and correctly.)
 

Defrost

Moderator - CPSTI Emeritus
REALLY???

I will have to remember this! Pump RENTAL sucks, but it is definitely something. (Of course, this assumes that your PCP is "intelligent" enough to write a script for it, and correctly.)

Yep, really. It's completely up to the PCP, though, so if you're eloquent enough to state your case, you might even be able to get one to use because you're working. "I'm currently hand-expressing at work, but I keep getting plugged ducts and mastitis because I can't hand-express enough, so I need to breastpump for medical reasons to prevent plugged ducts and mastitis." Something along those lines might work, but really you'll need a supportive PCP. I've helped moms get them for a few months "transition period" after their babies came home from the NICU, but that's it so far.

Oh, and it's easy enough to write the prescription - it's the same as if they were writing one for a wheelchair or walker.
 
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Starlight

Senior Community Member
You haven't met my PCP.

Dh and I share PCP's at the present time. FOUR times, these people have managed to eff up his narrative for his med board. It's due in 7 days. 7 days!!! And even though he went to them in SEPTEMBER to start it, they haven't done a gosh darn thing. This is his career we're talking about. Livelihood, etc. I'm so irked.
 

NVMBR02

New member
USAA no longer offers car seat rebates, either.

Yeah, I think they stopped mid. 2004. Nice while it lasted though.

We have BCBS and they paid for my breastpump. Ds's ped. wrote a note and then they covered it.
With dd I rented a breastpump from the WIC office (I think it was $20 a month?). We were stationed overseas and the office had a several pumps for rent. When I went to the breastfeeding class on base the LC encouraged everyone to sign up and rent them since they were almost always available. I am sure it helped that the LC worked in the WIC office. Anyway, E-4's and below could get them for free, E-5's and above rented them. It was a great program.
 

junestar

New member
our states blue cross blue sheild gives you a medela pump in style advance - i just got the backpack version. very nice.

Last child I was with Cigna and they paid 150 towards a pump rental (rented the medela symphony? i think - it was 50 a month)
 

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