Trends in Breast Pump Prescription Claims: A Nationwide Population-Based Study of Outpatient Statutory Health Insurance Billing Data in Germany, 2011-2024.

BACKGROUND: Breast pumps are important medical devices for lactating women to support human milk expression. To our knowledge, no epidemiological analysis of health insurance prescription claims for breast pumps has been published in Germany or any European country. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this analysis was to explore temporal and regional trends in breast pump prescription claims in outpatient settings in Germany and to characterize the types of pumps covered. METHODS: We conducted a nationwide secondary analysis of outpatient statutory health insurance billing data for electric and manual breast pump prescriptions from 2011 to 2024 in Germany. Dispensing data from community pharmacies were scaled to full national coverage using regional extrapolation factors and subsequently linked with national and state-level live birth statistics to adjust for live birth rates and population size. RESULTS: Between 2011 and 2024, electric breast pump prescription claims increased from 235 to 605 claims per 1,000 infants newly enrolled in statutory health insurance (average annual growth of 8.2%). In 2024, German national statutory health insurance funds covered costs of €15.3 million for electric pump rentals. Claims varied substantially across federal states but increased overall. CONCLUSION: Electric breast pump prescription claims in Germany significantly increased over the past 13 years. This study lays the groundwork for further investigations of breast pumps as medical devices in Germany and Europe and has wider implications for understanding current clinical approaches to the management of breastfeeding difficulties. Future research on breastfeeding interventions should consider the potential health impacts of breast pumps and aim to understand regional determinants of human milk expression.