[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. SUE W. KELLY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 22, 1997

  Mrs. KELLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Breast Cancer 
Awareness Month and to honor those women who are forced to live with 
this disease and to their families who support them during their time 
of need.
  While we stand here and recognize October as Breast Cancer Awareness 
Month, I realize that in many families every month is Breast Cancer 
Awareness Month.
  Sometimes because a mother is fighting the disease;
  Sometimes because an aunt is in remission from the disease;
  Sometimes because a grandmother lost her life to breast cancer;
  Or in my case, because my sister is fighting this silent predator.
  As if it is not enough that today over 2.5 million women in America 
are living with breast cancer, we read story after story about the 
additional hardships these women are made to endure.
  Some women are forced out of a hospital 12 hours after a radical 
mastectomy with tubes left in their back and no one to assist them;
  Some women are denied reconstructive surgery following a mastectomy 
and are told that it is deemed cosmetic--an excuse that masquerades the 
truth that denying coverage is merely a cost-savings measure;
  Some women who have already lost several family members to breast 
cancer fear they will lose their job or health insurance if they decide 
to be genetically tested in an attempt to save themselves;
  Some women are denied access to the full menu of medical options of 
breast cancer treatment because their physician has been gagged by the 
health plan for which he works;
  Some women are diagnosed with an advanced stage of breast cancer 
because of a prior false negative test result and no insurance coverage 
for a second opinion.
  These are real stories of real women who not only had to fight breast 
cancer, but then had to fight a health care plan which practiced 
bottom-line medicine instead of patient-first medicine.
  Breast cancer survivors must be treated with compassion and dignity, 
not as an accounting figure. This is why I introduced the Women's 
Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1997, H.R. 616. This legislation:
  Ensures coverage for inpatient hospital care for women following a 
mastectomy, lumpectomy, or lymph node dissection for a period 
determined by the physician and patient;
  Allows for coverage of second opinions for all cancer diagnosis for 
men and women, whether negative or positive;
  Requires coverage of reconstructive surgery for breast cancer 
patients--including symmetrical reconstruction; and
  Protects physicians from retribution for recommending longer stays.
  One breast cancer survivor wrote the following about the Women's 
Health and Cancer Rights Act; ``It would be a wonderful feeling knowing 
that until there is a cure for this horrible disease women would at 
least be able to face breast cancer with dignity and peace of mind 
knowing that their health care plan would stand with them and not 
against them.''
  The experiences of the thousands of breast cancer survivors have made 
me realize that we should have no greater priority than empowering 
those with breast cancer the right and ability to play an active role 
in the management of their treatment. It is our obligation as leaders 
to ensure them that their medical treatment is in the hands of 
physicians, not insurance companies. It is a profound injustice when 
health care forgets about the patient, yet with regard to mastectomy 
recovery and breast construction following a mastectomy, that is just 
what has been done.
  Let's put the reality of this disease in perspective. When a woman is 
told that she has breast cancer, the feeling that immediately follows 
the initial denial is lack of control. My bill is a patient's bill 
aimed at providing patients, in consultation with their physicians, a 
greater degree of autonomy when deciding appropriate medical care and, 
therefore, taking back control of their lives.
  Some people call the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act a mandate. 
How is this a mandate when I only ask that patients get what they pay 
for--health insurance. If health insurance can abandon you, ignore you, 
or even kill you, it isn't insurance.
  Now, to be clear, all insurance companies are not so insensitive as 
to not provide these basic benefits and, therefore, all will not be 
affected by this legislation. But we have a responsibility to protect 
the doctor/patient relationship, ensuring that the medical needs of 
patients are fully addressed.
  The Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act should be the top social 
issue for the 105th Congress. I ask my colleagues to join me in making 
that a reality.
  Lastly, my heart goes out to the women struggling with this disease, 
for whom we hold this special order tonight.

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