Johanna Tran was just 30 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's since undergone chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation, and a DIEP flap reconstruction, which rebuilt her breast using her own skin and fat. "I am unable to breastfeed because I had a double mastectomy," she tells Popsugar.
In 2012, breast pumps and related breastfeeding equipment became covered by health insurance as part of the Affordable Care Act. But while this coverage supports nursing moms, it leaves out women like Tran who can't breastfeed out of medical necessity, requiring them to take on the additional costs of formula or donor milk out of pocket.
"Women didn't choose this path," says Tran, a 38-year-old mother of two in Florida who was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2019. "I'm sure all of the mothers who are unable to breastfeed would love the opportunity to do so, but the choice has been taken away from them. It's not fair that on top of that, you face the hardship of having to pay for formula."
Katie LaMar was also unable to nurse after experiencing gynecological cancer twice. She welcomed a son with the help of a gestational carrier, and said her inability to breastfeed him was "deeply painful" for her. "I cried while holding my son in the hospital bed, apologizing for what I could not give him," she says.
Lawmakers are trying to help families like these with The Constance C. McDaniel Medically Necessary Infant Formula and Donor Milk Act, aka Connie's Bill. But the journey is just getting started. Here's what you need to know about the bill, and why it can make such a difference for some families.
The Financial Burden of Formula Feeding Is Real For These Families
LaMar estimates that she typically spent between $200 and $400 a month on formula to feed her son. "For a family already facing the costs of cancer, that recurring expense was difficult to absorb," she says.
Tran says it would "mean so much" to her for formula to be covered. "Breast cancer takes so much away from you, including your ability to feed your children naturally. There is no other option but formula," she says. "It feels like a double slap in the face that after surviving cancer, defying the odds and birthing healthy children, cancer strikes another blow by preventing you from feeding them."
Having formula covered by health insurance would be a big help for survivors, Tran continues. "Breast pumps are covered but you need breasts to use them… . This would even the playing field," she says.
How Will Connie's Bill Make a Difference?
Connie's Bill was named after Constance C. McDaniel, an advocate and mother who died from breast cancer in 2025, aims to cover medically necessary infant formula and donor milk for parents who can't breastfeed due to medical conditions. The bipartisan bill was created in partnership with Bobbie for Change and nonprofit organization The Breasties and introduced in the House of Representatives in May 2026.
The bill is "designed to close a glaring policy gap in the Affordable Care Act," says Michele Lampach, Bobbie for Change Director of Impact and Policy. "While current federal law mandates that insurance cover breast pumps for new parents - a huge win for breastfeeding and pumping families - it leaves behind cancer previvors, survivors, and others who medically cannot breastfeed due to breast or gynecologic surgeries or other medical diagnoses," she says.
Connie's Bill establishes a three-year federal pilot program to cover infant formula and donor milk for parents who can't breastfeed. "It is a long-overdue step toward true feeding equity, that all families receive the equivalent federal support towards feeding their babies," Lampach says.
McDaniel, who inspired the bill, "was a fierce advocate on a mission to ensure no other family had to fight the system the way she did," Lampach says. The bill has since been championed by legislative leaders like Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
"Too often, diseases like cancer take the deeply personal decision to breastfeed away from moms," Schultz says. "It's more important than ever that parents who need these nutritious products for their newborns out of medical necessity can access them. As a cancer survivor myself, I feel a deep obligation to raise awareness and solve this longstanding problem."
What Options Do Parents Have Now?
The Breasties originally reached out to infant formula maker Bobbie about this issue five years ago, Lampach says. "No one in government or the healthcare industry had an answer - let alone a solution," she says. "So, rather than wait for the system to fix itself, we became partners and launched the Bobbie Breasties Program to act as a temporary bridge, providing a full year of free formula to hundreds of mothers navigating cancer diagnoses."
Tran is one of them. "It has made a tremendous difference in our lives," she says. To date, the Bobbie Breasties Program has supported 615 families. "This was never meant to be a permanent substitute for systemic support," Lampach says. "Along the way, we've been actively pushing to change the law."
Extending the Affordable Care Act to cover infant formula for survivors would be a game-changer, Tran says. "There is enough stress with having a newborn, navigating family transitions, and dealing with postpartum issues," she says. "Figuring out how to feed your newborn or pay for formula shouldn't be one of them."
Korin Miller is a writer specializing in general wellness, health, and lifestyle trends. Her work has appeared in Women's Health, Self, Health, Forbes, and more.
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