On Wednesday, October 21, 1998, the U.S. Congress approved a measure sponsored by Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) that for the first time would require health insurance plans nationwide to pay for breast reconstruction following mastectomies.

The breast reconstruction measure, included in the FY 1999 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, was previously part of a more comprehensive bill introduced in 1997 by Senators Feinstein and Alfonse D'Amato (R-NY). This bill, if approved, would have prevented "drive-through mastectomies," the practice of women being forced out of hospitals by insurance companies only hours after undergoing breast cancer surgery.

"I think it's terrific that the provision for breast reconstruction was included in the Omnibus Spending package," Senator Feinstein said. "I regret that the portion that restored to the physician the traditional and time honored right to determine length of hospital stay and thereby prevent same-day mastectomies was not included in the bill."

"The language in this bill is taken from S. 249, a bill that I introduced with Senator D'Amato on January 30, 1997. Plans have arbitrarily denied this very necessary surgery, to make a woman whole. Twelve states require coverage of breast reconstruction, including my own, but we need a national standard. This measure will bring hope and help restore self-esteem to thousands of women who lose their breasts to the disease every year."

Although breast reconstruction is an important component of breast cancer treatment and recovery, few insurance plans pay for it. One study found that 84 percent of patients were denied insurance coverage for reconstruction of the removed breast. California law already requires coverage of breast reconstruction after a mastectomy.

Senator Feinstein plans to reintroduce the remaining provisions of the drive-through mastectomy bill during the next session of Congress. The main provision of the legislation allows physicians, not insurance companies, to determine how long a person with breast cancer should stay in a hospital following a mastectomy.

"With regard to overall HMO health care reform, I believe that the heart of any reform should be to restore to the physician control over the practice of medicine," Senator Feinstein said. "It is of the utmost importance that a patient have the ability to have choice of doctors, to have up-to-date treatment and therapy available, and to seek specialized consultation and care."

Facts about breast cancer:
•More than 2 million women are living with breast cancer in America, yet one million do not know it yet.
•Breast cancer claims a woman's life every 15 minutes in the United States.
•Breast cancer is still the number one cancer killer of women between the ages of 15 and 54.