Georgia Medicaid now covers lactation care via telehealth

This spring, for the first time in Georgia, eligible patients with health insurance through Medicaid can get coverage for breastfeeding support services via telemedicine. Maternal health advocates say the change would help improve access to lactation care statewide.

Georgia’s Medicaid program had previously reimbursed for lactation services but only for patients who saw a practitioner in person for their appointments. The requirement kept the services hard to come by for some, especially in rural Georgia, said Amanda Minimi, with in-network provider Aeroflow Health.

“By giving moms better support systems we’re boosting confidence, not just in breastfeeding, but also in just having conversations with your physicians, explaining what is normal, what’s abnormal, when you should seek help and just giving them more of a peer support, which is really critical for her overall success in birth and birth outcomes,” said Minimi, who is part of a coalition of maternal and infant health advocates that have pushed for the state to expand lactation coverage to telehealth appointments.