DeLauro Continues Efforts To End Drive-Through Mastectomies

Press Release

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) reintroduced the bipartisan Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act today, with the support of 74 members of Congress. First introduced by DeLauro in 1996, this legislation would ensure that the decision of when to leave the hospital after a lumpectomy or mastectomy is made by a woman and her health care provider. Currently women can be forced out sooner, even just hours after their procedure, in what is commonly referred to as a "drive-through mastectomy.'

"Twenty-seven years ago, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and I can tell you that the diagnosis, treatments, and recovery are not easy, physically or emotionally. To imagine coming out of breast cancer surgery--still in pain and groggy from anesthesia--and being told to leave the hospital is simply unconscionable. 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 people across the country, no matter what insurance they have--and is simply the right thing to do."

With over 226,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed last year, it is critical that women 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.

Specifically, the bill would:

Guarantee a minimum hospital stay of 48 hours for anyone having a mastectomy or lumpectomy and 24 hours for anyone undergoing a lymph node removal

Ensure that anyone who has a mastectomy or lumpectomy for treatment of breast cancer has access to secondary medical opinions

Ensure coverage of radiation therapy should they choose to have a lumpectomy

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