This is from my friend that sends me a gazillion forwards a week. I googled it and it's true. Since cancer awareness in going strong this month I thought I'd pass it on. I signed the petition. I left the story part in but skipping to the last two paragraphs is the most important part. ============================================================ Proposed Mastectomy Law Change (written by a surgeon); I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies. So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered. A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed i n order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery. This Mastectomy Bill is in Congress now.. It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important. Please take the time and do it really quick! The Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill is important legislation for all women. There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached. Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support.. Last year over half the House signed on. PLEASE! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number... http://www.mylifetime.com/my-lifetime-commitment/breast-cancer/petition/breast-cancer-petition
This bill has been re-introduced every year for at least 5 years. You can follow the current status of the House bill here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/D?d111:6:./temp/~bdaeup::|/bss/111search.html| and the Senate bill here: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:SN00688:|/bss/111search.html| This year, the House bill has 211 co-sponsors, including our representative, Bob Etheridge. The Senate bill has 11 sponsors, not including either of our Senators. It would not be a bad idea to Contact Sen. Richard Burr and Sen. Kay Hagan and suggest they sign on. Maybe this is the year it will finally pass.
Outpatient surgery? BS. I have sent e-mails to both Senator Burr and Hagan. It is best to send requests directly to our Senators in addition to signing a national petition. You can send e-mails through their web sites: Burr, Richard - (R - NC) Class III217 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510(202) 224-3154Web Form: burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Conta...Hagan, Kay R. - (D - NC) Class II521 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510(202) 224-6342Web Form: hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact
