DeLauro Renews Efforts to End Drive-Through Mastectomies

Washington, DC— Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) reintroduced the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act today, the first day of the 112th Congress. First introduced by the Congresswoman in 1996, this bipartisan legislation would ensure that breast cancer patients who have had a mastectomy or lumpectomy are able to remain in the hospital for up to 48 hours after surgery, ending a practice known as ‘drive-through mastectomies,' where woman are forced to leave the hospital sometimes only hours after their procedures.

With an estimated 207,090 new cases of invasive breast cancer found in American women last year, it is critical that they receive the care they need. The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act, which passed the House of Representatives in 110th Congress by an overwhelming margin, would give patients and their doctors more control over treatment decisions. It would also ensure that women who have a mastectomy or lumpectomy for treatment of breast cancer have access to secondary medical opinions, and are ensured coverage of radiation therapy should they choose to have a lumpectomy, and mandates a third party reviewing process before an insurance company would be able to rescind an insurance policy.

"Twenty-five years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and I can tell you that the diagnosis, treatments, and recovery are not easy, physically or emotionally. To imagine women coming out of surgery, still in pain and groggy from anesthesia, and being told to leave the hospital is simply unconscionable. Breast cancer treatment surgery is surgery, and should be taken seriously. I have worked with insurance companies to end these callous policies, but piecemeal changes are not enough. The Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act will ensure that this basic consumer protection is guaranteed to women across the country, no matter what insurance they have—and is simply the right thing to do."