HARRISBURG – Legislation to provide critical nourishment for medically fragile babies is poised to be signed into law. Senate Bill 500, which received bipartisan support, would grant children who are less than a year old access to medically prescribed pasteurized human donor milk by requiring Medical Assistance coverage in inpatient and outpatient settings. 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 to ensure safety of the milk. Donor milk is medically prescribed for children with heart problems and certain serious health care issues, including neonatal abstinence syndrome, which occurs when infants are exposed to opioids or other substances of abuse in-utero. As a result, the use of donor milk is a proven, cost-effective way to improve health outcomes of the child and lower health care costs. To qualify for coverage, the child must meet the requirements for medical necessity or the child’s mother must be medically or physically unable to produce breast milk in an amount needed to meet the child’s needs.
