Advocacy Organizations Urge Passage of DeLauro’s Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act

Washington, D.C. – As people in Connecticut, Washington, D.C. and other cities gather for the Global Race for the Cure, a number of high-profile organizations reiterated their strong support for Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro's (CT-3) bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act (H.R. 1691) and urged its passage. The legislation would allow a woman and her doctor to decide whether she should recuperate from a mastectomy or lumpectomy for at least 48 hours in the hospital or whether she has enough support to get quality care at home.

The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, which DeLauro introduced with Congressman Joe Barton (TX-06), enjoys broad support in Congress – 216 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 14 cosponsors of the Senate companion legislation (S.688) introduced by Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA).

In addition to the support of these organizations, many have championed its cause, including Desperate Housewives star Marcia Cross, who came to Capitol Hill last year to press for its passage. And a petition at myLifetime.com calling for passage of the legislation has been signed 24 million times – with nearly three-quarters of a million signatures signed just last month.

"Over the past 13 years, Lifetime has collected 24 million signatures on mylifetime.com protesting "drive through" mastectomies. It is time for this barbaric practice to end and it is time for women to get the healthcare they deserve."

—Meredith Wagner, Executive Vice President Lifetime Networks

"Physicians and breast cancer patients must have the ability to freely discuss what treatment options are medically necessary and appropriate, including the length of an adequate hospital stay. These women deal with tremendous medical and emotional challenges to overcome this disease and their best course of care should be determined by their individual needs, not by the business considerations of the hospital."

—Daniel E. Smith, President American Cancer Society

" Our 24/7 hotline answers over 40,000 calls each year from those diagnosed and/or touched by breast cancer. We are appalled when calls are received from women who have been told that their insurance will not cover a hospital stay after a mastectomy. … Breast Cancer Network of Strength supports the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act because women should not have to negotiate recovery time in the hospital after a mastectomy. Let's put the health care decision making in the hands of those who know best – patients and their doctors."

—Kay Wissmann, Director of Government Relations Breast Cancer Network of Strength (formerly Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization)

"As oncology nurses, every day we see the pain and suffering caused by cancer, and we know all too well the physical, emotional, and financial challenges that people with cancer face throughout their diagnosis and treatment. Unfortunately, too many times, people with cancer also face the challenge of a health care plan and/or a health care system whose policies and practices can compound and further strain an already difficult situation. Specifically, ONS supports your legislation, because it helps ensure that decisions pertaining to treatment for breast cancer are made by cancer care providers, in consultation with their patients, not by health plans or insurers."

—Brenda Nevidjon, RN, MSN, FAAN, President —Paula Rieger, RN, MS, AOCN, Chief Executive Officer Oncology Nursing Society

"H.R. 1691 takes an important step forward by restoring healthcare decision-making to breast cancer patients and their physicians. … By guaranteeing a minimum hospital stay of 48 hours for a woman having a mastectomy or lumpectomy and 24 hours for a lymph node removal, this legislation allows patients to properly recover from their procedure. ACOG applauds your recognition that a woman should never have to jeopardize her health in favor of a coverage decision, especially after a physically and emotionally draining procedure."

—Douglas H. Kirkpatrick, MD, President The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

"[The legislation] will help ease the burden for those struggling with breast cancer. One of the challenges of the private market is that insurance benefits vary by state, and research shows that treatment for breast cancer differs according to type of insurance coverage and state of residence. The last thing women who are facing a life threatening disease should have to worry about is whether the insurance company in their state will provide them with the same level of coverage as neighboring states or whether they will hit their lifetime cap as a result of expensive cancer treatments."

—Ronald F. Pollack, Executive Director Families USA

"Too many women in this country have had to face breast cancer surgery. It is not easy, physically or emotionally. But all too often women find themselves forced by their insurance companies to leave the hospital before they are ready - sometimes just hours after surgery. Anybody who has watched a loved one fight this illness understands that the last thing any woman should be doing at that time is fighting with her insurance company. … This legislation presents an opportunity to restore patient and consumer rights to breast cancer patients and their families—an opportunity that should not be missed."

—Judy Waxman, Vice President of Health and Reproductive Rights The National Women's Law Center

"The need for a mastectomy can cause an over whelming stress factor in [a women's] life. Then to be faced with the fact that you must go home after surgery in pain, with a surgical dressing, tubes and have to watch for signs for an infection, just adds to her stress level. The 48 hour stay gives her a chance to cope with the diagnosis, assault to her body and the possible need for chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. This time also allows her to get the necessary resources needed to get on with the life."

—Sandra Fisher, Deputy Director The Witness Project of Connecticut

"The Society for Women's Health Research strongly supports this legislation and commends those members championing its passage. This bill will help so many women who are struggling with breast cancer and the concomitant stress that accompanies it. Decisions regarding health care needs should be made by the doctor and the patient, with the patient's best interest in mind."

—Phyllis Greenberger, President & Chief Executive Officer Society for Women's Health Research

"From 1986 through 1995, the proportion of mastectomies performed on an outpatient basis increased from virtually 0% to 10.8%. By 2001 it was reported as high as 20%. One study found that outpatient mastectomies are more likely to be performed on older women. Also, women undergoing outpatient mastectomy had substantially higher rates of rehospitalization within 30 days than women with even a 1-day stay in the hospital.

"We as a society, are placing at risk, in order to save time, money and bed-space, the health and wellbeing of our mothers, sisters, daughters and wives. As the representative of over 5000 breast care health professionals, AABCP stongly supports H.R. 1691 recognizing it as a bill that considers not only the immediate surgical treatment of breast cancer, but the need for post surgical considerations as well."

—Rhonda F Turner, PhD, JD, CFm, President American Association of Breast Care Professionals