Gov. Josh Shapiro praised a bipartisan effort to give medically vulnerable infants in Pennsylvania expanded access to potentially life-saving pasteurized donor human milk. Act 32 of 2023, Owen’s Law, took effect the week of January 15 and increases access to pasteurized donor human milk by expanding the number of health conditions eligible for Medicaid-covered donor human milk. The law will support supplementation of a mother’s milk and provide more options to support healthy growth for infants. Key components of the law include expanding the number of medical conditions that qualify for Medicaid coverage for pasteurized human donor milk; requiring the Department of Health (DOH) in consultation with the Department of Human Services (DHS) to produce a public information campaign on the availability of pasteurized human donor milk; and tasking DHS with creating and updating guidance about the usage of donor milk. Click here to learn more. Click here for the Medical Assistance Bulletin.
