FDA’s Breast Pump Website
March 30, 2007 by Angela White, J.D., breastfeeding counselor
Filed under breastfeeding, products, pumping
Need help safely choosing and using a breast pump? Check out the new breast pump website launched by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Breast pumps are considered medical devices and thus the FDA regulates them. As part of an initiative with the U.S. Breastfeeding Committee the FDA put together this site to offer breast pump basics. It answers important questions like:
“Is it safe to buy a used breast pump or share a breast pump?”
“Are there programs to help me pay for a pump?”
You can also learn how to file a report of a problem with your pump.
“Breast pumps are considered medical devices and thus the FDA regulates them.”
Good thing to keep in mind if you want to get the cost of buying a pump reimbursed under your employer’s Flexible Spending Account. You may need to get a doctor (or midwife) to write you a note saying that it’s medically necessary, but that shouldn’t be too difficult if you have a BF-friendly doc.
“Breast pumps are considered medical devices…”
This is good information to have. When I bought my pump-in-style I was able to get the money reimbursed out of my flexible medical spending account that many companies offer. Up to $2000 (or more depending on the state/program) can be set aside, pre-tax, in a special account and can be used to reimburse medical expenses (co-pays, prescriptions, band-aids, and apparently breast pumps).
I was quite surprised, actually, when it was approved. But this might explain why.
BTW – The catch is that if you don’t use the $$$ it does not roll over to the next year, so you need to roughly estimate how much you might spend on medical stuff in advance.