Urge Gov. Newsom to sign this important bill!
Babies come into the world needing nourishment and for some parents, it’s simply not possible to produce milk. When a parent's breastmilk is not available or sufficient, pasteurized donor human milk is the next best to improve the survival of babies in need. That's why the UC Health Milk Bank was created, but not everyone can access this resource easily.
The good news is the State Legislature just passed a bill to change that. Assemblymember Akilah Weber authored Assembly Bill 3059 which requires medically necessary donor milk to be covered under all commercial medical insurance plans. The bill is now sitting on Governor Newsom’s desk waiting for his signature and we need your voice!
For the University of California, health equity issues like this are a top priority. The UC Health Milk Bank opened in 2020 with the goal of supporting neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and families across California. The Milk Bank provides safe, pasteurized human milk from donors. While California has high rates of breastfeeding, not all families across the state have equal access to human donor milk. This has resulted in shortages of donor milk for ill or premature infants – both in NICUs and for families at home.
Currently, donor milk is a covered benefit under Medi-Cal, but existing law does not clearly define it as a covered benefit under commercial insurance plans. As a result, hospitals across California face regulatory and financial barriers in establishing donor milk programs to support their patients.
If signed by Gov. Newsom, AB 3059 would ensure that vulnerable infants with commercial insurance receive coverage in order to access donor milk.