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Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato
By Forum Staff
The State Legislature recently approved a bill that would provide insurance coverage and information on chest wall reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy or partial mastectomy, commonly known as “aesthetic flat closure,” according to Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach), who introduced the legislation.
The bill passed both the State Senate and Assembly unanimously.
Currently, breast reconstruction is covered by insurance, and while many women pursue reconstructive surgeries, some women also choose to “stay flat” and pursue aesthetic flat closure. Women who forgo breast reconstruction are most often done in one surgery, but about one in four will require revision to produce an acceptable aesthetic result (an aesthetic flat closure). Too often, these women are told that their revision surgery is “cosmetic” and therefore will not be covered by insurance. With this new bill, flat closure procedures would be covered by insurance just like reconstructive surgery. This change in the law gives women a choice in how they want their post-mastectomy body to look.
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia/Delaywaves
State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky
“Everyone knows someone who has been impacted by breast cancer. The courageous women who brought this issue to my attention told me their struggles and how they wanted to be in control and decide how their bodies looked after their mastectomy. The women in our State who have had a mastectomy don’t deserve to just survive, but the opportunity to thrive and live their lives the best way possible. Our bill sends a message that women in New York will get that chance and can make that decision,” said Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato.
“One in every eight women in this country will experience the life altering and traumatic experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer. If a woman undergoes a mastectomy as a treatment for her cancer, the aftermath of that surgery should be entirely within her control. If a woman chooses to undergo chest wall reconstruction, that is her right and it should be covered by insurance, in the same manner as breast reconstruction. I am proud to sponsor this legislation and I thank Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato for championing a woman’s right to make decisions concerning her own body,” said State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing), who carried the bill in the Upper Chamber.
The legislation now awaits Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature.
