[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 101 (Thursday, July 27, 2006)]
[House]
[Page H5959]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE BREAST CANCER PATIENT PROTECTION ACT

  (Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, breast cancer does not 
discriminate based on health care coverage.
  Statistics tell us that one in seven American women will develop 
breast cancer; yet no one ever expects these things. No one plans or 
prepares to be diagnosed with breast cancer. No one preemptively 
investigates their health insurance coverage in the event that they 
require a mastectomy or a lumpectomy.
  Suddenly these women, our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, are 
faced not only with a terrible, deadly diagnosis but with unnerving 
treatment decisions.
  I am a cosponsor of the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act to 
ensure one thing: that women don't have to worry about their health 
insurance plan during this terrifying experience. This is the law in 
Florida, and it should be the law of the land. While serving in the 
Florida legislature, I passed similar legislation, and my commitment 
has not wavered.
  This bill mandates that women be covered for a 48-hour hospital stay 
after a mastectomy and a 24-hour stay for a lumpectomy. What is more, 
it ensures full coverage for follow-up care.
  Asking anyone coping with a deadly disease to lose sleep over health 
insurance is outrageous. As a public servant, I believe I have a 
responsibility to stand up on this issue so that women facing this 
trying ordeal can focus on what really matters: their family, their 
faith, and their future.

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