HARRISBURG – The PA Senate passed legislation that would grant medically fragile babies access to pasteurized human donor milk. Senate Bill 500 would require Medical Assistance coverage for medically prescribed pasteurized human donor milk in both inpatient and outpatient settings for children who are less than a year old. The donor milk must be obtained from a milk bank licensed in PA or through a hospital licensure process in accordance with the Keystone Mother’s Milk Bank Act of 2020. In very low birth-weight babies and other medically compromised infants, donor milk provides powerful protection against serious health complications that can lead to longer hospital stays, multiple medical and surgical procedures, readmissions, lifelong disability or even death. The use of donor milk is a proven, cost-effective way to improve health outcomes and lower health care costs. To qualify for coverage, the child’s mother must be medically or physically unable to produce breast milk in an amount needed to meet the child’s needs. The measure would help infants who are unable to thrive on commercially available specialty formula or who have medical conditions that require human milk. Having received unanimous support from the state Senate, the bill now moves to the PA House.
