While technically not a story about research, this news story is about two issues that may have a big effect on women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States so Breastcancer.org decided to review it.
A bill in front of the U.S. Senate would require insurance companies to pay for at least 48 hours of hospital care, if it's needed, after a woman has either a mastectomy or a lumpectomy and lymph node removal to diagnose and treat breast cancer. About 20 states already have a requirement like this. Legislators who support the bill want to make sure that all women who have breast cancer surgery have recovery time covered by insurance, no matter where they live.
The bill was written because insurance companies increasingly have been refusing to cover recovery time in the hospital after the day of breast cancer surgery. In the past, some insurance companies refused to cover recovery time in the hospital after a woman gave birth, which meant new mothers were discharged that same day. Because of this, U.S. legislators created laws that made insurance companies cover at least one overnight hospital stay for recovery time after childbirth.
Refusing to pay for recovery time in the hospital after breast cancer surgery is a decision insurance companies make based on economics, not the best interests of patients and their health care. Breastcancer.org believes that decisions about recovery time should be made together by each woman being treated and her doctors as part of the patient-doctor relationship, not by insurers. It's unfortunate that legislation may be needed to resolve the issue. But Breastcancer.org strongly supports legislators' efforts to create a law that will require insurers to cover an adequate recovery time in the hospital after breast cancer surgery, allowing each woman to get the care that she needs.
The other Senate bill discussed in this news story would direct $40 million to fund national research on environmental factors that contribute to breast cancer development. Because this bill earmarks research funds for a specific issue, some researchers are concerned that these requirements might limit funding for research on other important issues related to breast cancer. Critics worry that advocacy groups with the loudest voice and most money could influence legislation that favors the group's research interests over others. To avoid this problem, legislators also are considering an alternate bill that would create an expert review panel to make recommendations on spending federal research funds.
Breastcancer.org believes that research on environmental factors that contribute to breast cancer development is vital to reducing the number of breast cancer diagnoses. Still, it's also critically important to anyone diagnosed with breast cancer today that research is done on ALL potential causes of breast cancer, as well as on techniques to improve diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life. Breastcancer.org urges the U.S. Congress to make all breast cancer research needs a priority.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A congressional panel on Wednesday said it has bipartisan support for a bill requiring health insurers to pay for a minimum 48-hour hospital stay after breast cancer treatment, to combat what critics call "drive-through" surgeries.
About 20 U.S. states have such a minimum insurance requirement for women undergoing mastectomies or lumpectomies to treat breast cancer. Advocates of the bill say federal legislation is needed to equalize coverage across the nation.
"Having access to appropriate medical care should not be dependent on the state you live in," said Rep. Frank Pallone, the New Jersey Democrat who chairs the health subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women after skin cancer, killing more than 41,000 women a year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The bill has bipartisan support and 219 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. A companion bill in the Senate has 19 co-sponsors thus far.
Women with breast cancer often undergo a mastectomy, in which the full breast is removed, or a lumpectomy, a less drastic surgery that is followed by radiation therapy.
About two-thirds of the 125,000 women who undergo mastectomies in the U.S. annually leave the hospital a few hours after surgery, without regard to their health, because their insurance will not pay for a longer stay, according to testimony from Dr. Kristen Zarfos, a fellow at the American College of Surgeons.
But America's Health Insurance Plans, an industry group for most major health plans such as UnitedHealth Group and WellPoint Inc , called the bill unnecessary.
"We do not think that it is a good idea on the state level or the federal level to be putting clinical guidelines into statute," group spokeswoman Susan Pisano said.
Most health insurers treat each case on a "medical necessity" basis. "We think there are women who are satisfied with shorter lengths of stay," she said.
DISEASE WINNERS AND LOSERS
Singer-songwriter and breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow also testified at the House panel's hearing, expressing support for a second bill that would provide $40 million annually for five years for federal research into environmental factors linked to breast cancer.
"There is little financial incentive for anyone else to do this research," Crow told lawmakers.
She added: "I have no idea why I got breast cancer or what I can say to others on how to prevent it."
Some Republicans and a federal health official said the research bill would tie the government's hands and interfere with science.
"In general, prescribing a specific way of conducting federal research could have the unintended consequence of narrowing the field of inquiry and promoting an unwise use of precious resources," said Deborah Winn, associate director of epidemiology and genetics at the National Cancer Institute.
Because the bill establishes a panel to set research priorities, it could hamper current efforts, Winn said.
A Senate companion bill includes changes related to the peer review process that could make a compromise possible, Winn said.
The committee's top Republican, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, said he is worried that Congress is too susceptible to the power of disease groups.
For example, advocates for breast cancer are among the most organized and best funded advocacy groups, Barton said. If Congress responded to their entreaties, it would be "picking winners and losers in terms of who gets the most research. Where does that leave liver cancer? ... What about autism ... diabetes?" he asked.
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