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Committee backs bill to require insurer coverage for lactation services
Summary
The House Insurance & Commerce Committee voted to advance House Bill 13-33, which would require private and public insurers to cover breastfeeding and lactation‑consultant services; committee members adopted a non‑substantive amendment that clarifies which provider types may deliver those services.
Representative Ashley Hudson (R‑District 75) told the House Insurance & Commerce Committee that House Bill 13‑33 would mandate coverage for breastfeeding and lactation consultant services and make that coverage more consistent across insurers.
The bill won committee approval after members adopted a non‑substantive amendment that “rearranges the wording” and clarifies “which types of providers could provide these services,” Hudson said. The committee approved the amendment by voice vote and then gave the bill a do‑pass recommendation as amended.
Why it matters: Supporters, including physicians and lactation professionals, told the committee that easier access to lactation services can improve infant and maternal health outcomes and reduce costs. Dr. Sarah Sobic, a board‑certified pediatrician and board‑certified breastfeeding lactation specialist who said she serves as the breastfeeding champion for the Arkansas chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, told lawmakers she struggled personally to breastfeed her first child and that many families face similar barriers because of cost and limited provider availability.
"Breastfeeding is widely recognized as 1 of the most effective ways to support infant and maternal health," Dr. Sobic said in testimony to the committee. She said that, in Arkansas, "about 75 percent of infants" initiate breastfeeding at hospital discharge, while "only 20 percent" of infants are exclusively breastfed through six months, figures she cited to illustrate gaps supporters say the bill could help close.
Lactation counselor Danielle Wright, who identified herself as working in Jackson County, described personal experience with limited hospital and community lactation support and said HB 13‑33 "isn't just about breastfeeding. It's about maternal health. It's about equity," urging passage so families can access support where and when they need it.
Hudson and witnesses said the bill would let clinics and outpatient primary care — including pediatric clinics — offer lactation support without financial barriers that currently prevent many lactation counselors from billing insurers or Medicaid for their services.
Committee action and next steps: Committee members voted by voice to adopt the amendment and then voted the bill do‑pass as amended. The committee did not record a roll‑call tally in the transcript; the clerk announced passage by voice vote and the committee advanced HB 13‑33 to the next legislative stage.
Sources and context: Testimony in favor came from Representative Ashley Hudson (bill sponsor), Dr. Sarah Sobic (pediatrician and breastfeeding/lactation specialist), and Danielle Wright (lactation professional). Supporters framed the bill as complementary to other maternal and infant health legislation under consideration this session.
