Women who’ve undergone breast cancer treatment, either as a survivor or previvor, can get a free breast pump and lactation support through the Affordable Care Act, but have zero access to coverage for donated breast milk or baby formula.
Together, Bobbie and The Breasties Are Fighting to Change That.
Bobbie, the mom-founded and led Organic infant formula company, is working with The Breasties for the second year, to continue the fight for insurance equality for mothers who have undergone a mastectomy. Bobbie has made a third-time donation of $25,000 to The Breasties to support their community building and research initiatives and is continuing its sponsorship program by supporting 111 parents impacted by breast cancer this year with a year of free Bobbie formula. The partnership also includes a public petition, (with over 10,000 signatures and counting) calling for legislation to change, creating insurance equality and covering formula or donor milk for all parents who have undergone a mastectomy.
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This year, Bobbie and The Breasties are expanding their advocacy initiatives to those who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer, those who are navigating high risk through preventative surgery, those who are welcoming a baby through surrogacy after a cancer diagnosis, and even those who have lost their partners to breast cancer — and cannot physically feed their babies with breast milk. Bobbie also offers 25% off every Bobbie order to new moms who have undergone a mastectomy with a baby under one and who qualify for the discount.
“Being selected as a part of the Bobbie Breasties program is one of those ‘worst club, best members’ moments, where I can't believe I'm fortunate enough to have this level of support amidst such a challenging experience. As a part of this community--both personally and professionally--I urge all women to advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself. Fight for the care that you deserve,” said Berenice Lopez Leal, new mom and Bobbie Breastie 2022-2023 cohort.
Over the last year, Bobbie has focused on closing the current policy gap surrounding insurance coverage for infant formula or donor milk. Right now, new moms in the U.S. can get a free breast pump but no coverage for formula or donor milk. Insurance coverage is tied solely to the health of the baby, not the physical capabilities of a mother to be able to breastfeed. Coverage for formula or donor milk is only considered if the baby has a diagnosed medical condition. But in cases where the mom physically cannot breastfeed due to breast cancer treatment, the medical necessity for formula or donor milk still exists-- yet a policy to support them does not.
“I actually dreamed of feeding my baby Bobbie before the sponsorship...the sponsorship that I received was life-changing for us. I can only imagine if more women were able to receive help like this, it would make a huge change in the world,” said Kait Bovard, mom to Everly and Bobbie Breastie 2021-2022 cohort.
According to BreastCancer.org, there are more than 3.8 million women with a history of breast cancer in the U.S. (this includes women currently being treated and women who have finished treatment, and in 2018 over 260,000 women were diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, which can require surgical breast removal.
“The Breasties is honored to be working with Bobbie for the second year in a row to make an impact within the breast cancer community,” said Allie Brumel, co-founder of The Breasties, breast cancer survivor and new mom. “Many individuals impacted by cancer — those who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer, those who are navigating high risk through preventative surgery, those who are welcoming a baby through surrogacy after a cancer diagnosis, and even those who have lost their partners to breast cancer — cannot physically feed their babies with breast milk. By joining forces with the community of activists behind Bobbie, we are proud to bring awareness to those who are frequently left out of current public policies and societal conversation on how we feed our babies.”
To be a part of Bobbie’s advocacy campaign, you can donate directly to the Breasties, or take action by signing up to join our efforts to close the feeding policy gap for breast cancer survivors and previvors through Bobbie for Change.
For more information about Bobbie Breasties or to donate to The Breasties please visit Bobbie Breasties.
About Bobbie
Bobbie is an Organic Infant Formula company that exists to build a parenting culture of confidence, not comparison, where every parent is supported in the feeding choice that is right for them and their baby. Bobbie launched in 2021 as the first direct-to-consumer, subscription-based infant formula company in the US. Today, Bobbie is the only mom-founded and led infant formula in the country and the fastest growing infant formula to enter the US market since the 1980’s. Bobbie’s recipe is modeled after breastmilk and designed to meet the most recent EU nutritional standards for critical ingredients like DHA and iron, while also complying with all FDA nutritional standards for infant formula. Bobbie is focused on providing a purposefully sourced, USDA Organic infant formula with Organic Valley milk from pasture raised cows. It was the first-ever infant formula to receive the Clean Label Project Purity Award and certification as a Pesticide-Free Product. Bobbie was founded in 2018, is based in San Francisco, and is venture-backed. For more information on Bobbie, visit www.hibobbie.com, and follow Bobbie on Instagram @bobbie.
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Contacts
Press inquiries: press@hibobbie.com
