Renting a breast pump?

[jackie011]

I was reading over our insurance benefits for 2013 and noticed this line

"You now pay nothing for the rental of breastfeeding equipment when you use a PPO provider. Previously you paid 15% of the Plan allowance."

I interpret that to mean I do not need to buy a $250+ breast pump, right? I can rent from the hospital (or whichever PPO provider I go with)? Has anyone done this? Is it a weird way to save money? Any downsides?

[ijack]

Do they not cover the purchase?
The downside would be that hospital pumps are pretty big, so depending on how much you're going to move it around (home/work/etc) it may not be the easiest option. Does it have a max? Because they can be expensive.
They do work much better than regular pumps.

[pugz]

hospital pumps are great for maternity leave, but not for going back to work

[jackie011]

Ok, good to know. I may not need to pump at work as much, as my child will be at work with me. I'm a teacher and the baby will be in our infant room, so I assume I'll get to take feeding breaks. (Other co-workers have done this in the past)

I'll have to see if they cover the purchase. Would that be under an HSA?

[hski2349]

I rented a Medela Symphony from the pediatrician's office for 3 months. I think it was something like $40 to $60 a month. I used my HSA to pay for it. Not sure if you can, but I figured it was a medical expense and had a receipt for the pediatrician's office.

[DazeyDee]

I used a Medela Lactina at work. It came in a giant case, but I just left it in my office, locked up. It was SO much faster then any other pump, and made it so I didn't really mind pumping. It would have sucked to haul it around every day, but if you have a place you can keep it, it makes pumping so much nicer.