As someone who advocates for better healthcare for all women diagnosed with cancer, and as a patient navigator I find this legislation to be, for the most part, redundant and not worth Congress spending time on. Many states have already addressed this issue by passing legislation. Further, this legislation shines a spotlight on the inequity of the system as a whole since its protection only extends to patients who have insurance. The Act would do nothing to assist uninsured women.
In my many years of navigating breast cancer patients, the length of stay following a mastectomy has never been an issue. The number of days any patient spends in a hospital should be determined by the individual patients needs. This applies to all surgical procedures not just mastectomies. If a patient experiences postoperative problems, such as fever or surgical complications, then additional in-hospital care may be needed. Also, the age of the patient and other health conditions may come into play. However, for the vast majority of patients, they do just fine with the current outpatient care. Studies actually show that most patients recuperate faster in a familiar environment. There is also the added risk of a patient developing an infection the longer the hospital stay. Rather than devote time to this legislation, Congress should spend time passing legislation that would afford quality care to all cancer patients, regardless of income or insurance status. Its fruitless to keep calling for more screening if medical systems are unable to provide treatment for those who are ultimately diagnosed who do not have the means to access care. Sandra BlankExecutive Director
Florida Breast Cancer Resource Network
