How Belly Bandit Is Helping Women Pay for the Maternity Products They Need
Having a baby can be expensive — and that’s just considering all the items the baby will need. But expecting mamas have needs, too!
The cost of maternity clothes, nursing bras, prenatal vitamins and loads of ginger tea to fight through all the nausea can certainly add up.
To help more women afford the pregnancy-related items they need, Belly Bandit, a company that focuses on maternity and post-pregnancy products, has made several of its products eligible to be claimed on health insurance plans, including flexible spending account and health spending account programs that offer reimbursements for items paid for out of pocket.
“We wanted to make our pregnancy support and postpartum recovery products available to all women who need them — that was the motivation behind the insurance coverage,” said Belly Bandit co-founder Lori Caden.
She said the company went through a lengthy process of consulting with numerous doctors and specialists in the maternity field to establish the medical necessity of the products in order to obtain the proper diagnostic codes for insurance coverage.
“Our products address various issues, from back pain to diastasis recti,” Caden said.
Belly Bandit announced the health insurance initiative in September 2017.
Products that are eligible for insurance coverage include various wraps and bands made to support a woman’s body during pregnancy and aid in postpartum recovery. Supportive underwear for women who’ve had a C-section and compression socks may also be covered.
Dr. Cynthia Robbins, a OB-GYN who has worked with the company, said she prescribes the pregnancy wraps for support, to relieve back and pelvic pain, and to stabilize the postpartum body so early exercise can begin.
“I am very glad insurance companies are reimbursing these items as durable medical goods,” she said. “So many more women will be able to be helped now.”
Women must check with their insurance plans to see if Belly Bandit products are covered and submit insurance claims to their individual providers.
While Belly Bandit does have an insurance submission form on its website along with suggested steps to follow to submit a claim, it does not work directly with insurance companies, nor does it issue the reimbursement payments.
Nicole Dow is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
