The Internal Revenue Service has decided that breast pumps and other breast feeding supplies cannot be paid for with money from mothers tax-exempt flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement accounts.
The American Academy of Pediatrics had requested that breast-feeding costs be reclassified as medical care expenses that would qualify for reimbursement with the accounts, according to
Despite medical studies showing the positive health effects of breast milk for nursing infants, the IRS considers breast milk to be a food and not a form of medical care. Infant formula also does not qualify for payment with the accounts.