Breast Cancer Patient Education Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for the planning and implementation of an education campaign to inform breast cancer patients anticipating surgery regarding the availability and coverage of breast reconstruction, prostheses, and other options, with a focus on informing patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
Requires such campaign to include dissemination of the following information: (1) breast reconstruction is possible at the time of breast cancer surgery or at a later time; (2) prostheses or breast forms may be available; (3) federal law mandates that both public and private health plans include coverage of breast reconstruction and prostheses; (4) the patient has a right to choose the provider of reconstructive care, including the potential transfer of care to a surgeon that provides breast reconstructive care; and (5) the patient may opt to undergo breast reconstruction at a time after surgery for personal or medical reasons during treatment or after completion of all other breast cancer treatments.
Requires the information required to be disseminated by this Act to be be posted on the Internet websites of relevant federal agencies, including the Office of Women's Health, the Office of Minority Health, and the Office of Rural Health Policy.
Prohibits such campaign from specifying, or being designed to serve as a tool to limit, the health care providers available to patients.
Requires biennial reports to Congress describing and evaluating the activities carried out under this Act.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1984 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1984
To amend the Public Health Service Act to raise awareness of, and to
educate breast cancer patients anticipating surgery, especially
patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups,
regarding the availability and coverage of breast reconstruction,
prostheses, and other options.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 15, 2013
Mr. Lance (for himself and Mrs. Christensen) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to raise awareness of, and to
educate breast cancer patients anticipating surgery, especially
patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups,
regarding the availability and coverage of breast reconstruction,
prostheses, and other options.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Breast Cancer Patient Education Act
of 2013''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2013,
about 232,340 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in
American women.
(2) Breast cancer has a disproportionate and detrimental
impact on African-American women and is the most common cancer
among Hispanic women.
(3) African-American women under the age of 40 have a
greater incidence of breast cancer than Caucasian women of the
same age.
(4) According to the Health Resources and Services
Administration, women residing in rural areas may have lower
rates of mammography screening compared to non-rural women
because of barriers to health care, such as greater distances
to medical facilities and lower educational, income, and health
insurance levels.
(5) Individuals undergoing surgery for breast cancer should
have the opportunity to give due consideration to the option of
breast reconstructive surgery, either at the same time as the
breast cancer surgery or at a later date.
(6) According to the American Cancer Society, immediate
breast reconstruction offers the advantage of combining the
breast cancer surgery with the reconstructive surgery and is
cost effective, while delayed breast reconstruction may be
advantageous in women who require post-surgical radiation or
other treatments.
(7) A woman who has had a breast removed may not be a
candidate for surgical breast reconstruction or may choose not
to undergo additional surgery and instead choose breast
prostheses.
(8) The Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998
(WHCRA; Public Law 105-277) requires health plans that offer
medical and surgical benefits with respect to a mastectomy to
also provide coverage for all stages of reconstruction of the
breast on which the mastectomy has been performed, surgery and
reconstruction of the other breast to produce a symmetrical
appearance, prostheses, and physical complications of
mastectomy, including lymphedemas.
(9) A 2007 study by Amy Alderman, M.D. at the University of
Michigan reported that up to 70 percent of women eligible for
breast reconstruction are not informed of their reconstructive
options by their general surgeon.
(10) A 2003 study by Alderman and others found that race is
a significant predictor of reconstruction. Compared with the
odds of reconstruction for Caucasians, the odds of
reconstruction for African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians are
significantly less.
(11) A 2007 study by Caprice Greenberg, M.D. of the Dana-
Farber Cancer Institute and others found that Hispanic patients
were less likely to receive reconstruction. This may be because
of language barriers between the patient and provider. Although
72 percent of patients who primarily spoke English went on to
receive reconstruction after discussing it with their
providers, no patient in the study with a primary language
other than English went on to receive reconstruction.
(12) A 2009 study by Alderman and others also found that
the relationship between race and reconstruction rates
persisted when demographic and clinical factors were controlled
for. Minority women are significantly less likely than
Caucasians to see a plastic surgeon before initial surgery,
were most likely to desire more information about
reconstruction, and satisfaction was lowest among minority
women without reconstruction.
(13) The low use of reconstruction for minorities is not
explained by lower demand for the procedure. Lower health
literacy, financial issues, and less access to plastic surgeons
emerged as barriers to reconstruction in the 2009 Alderman
study. These results suggest that there is a substantial unmet
need for information, especially among racial and ethnic
minority groups regarding reconstruction options and coverage
required by the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act of 1998.
(14) A 2010 study by Warren H. Tseng, M.D. and others at
the University of California, Davis found that patients from
rural areas are less likely to undergo breast reconstruction
following mastectomy for breast cancer than their urban
counterparts.
SEC. 3. BREAST RECONSTRUCTION EDUCATION.
Part V of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280m; programs relating to breast health and cancer) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 399NN-1. BREAST RECONSTRUCTION EDUCATION.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide for the planning and
implementation of an education campaign to inform breast cancer
patients anticipating surgery regarding the availability and coverage
of breast reconstruction, prostheses, and other options, with a focus
on informing patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority
groups.
``(b) Information To Be Disseminated.--
``(1) Specific information.--Such campaign shall include
dissemination of the following information:
``(A) Breast reconstruction is possible at the time
of breast cancer surgery, or at a later time.
``(B) Prostheses or breast forms may be available.
``(C) Federal law mandates both public and private
health plans to include coverage of breast
reconstruction and prostheses.
``(D) The patient has a right to choose a provider
of reconstructive care, including the potential
transfer of care to a surgeon that provides breast
reconstructive care.
``(E) The patient may opt to undergo breast
reconstruction some time after the time of breast
cancer surgery for personal or medical reasons, during
treatment or after completion of all other breast
cancer treatments.
``(2) Other information.--In addition to the information
described in paragraph (1), such campaign may include
dissemination of such other information (whether developed by
the Secretary or by other entities) as the Secretary determines
relevant.
``(3) Required publication.--The information required to be
disseminated under paragraph (1) and any information
disseminated in accordance with paragraph (2) shall be posted
on the Internet Web sites of relevant Federal agencies,
including the Office of Women's Health, the Office of Minority
Health, and the Office of Rural Health Policy.
``(4) Restriction.--Such campaign shall not specify, or be
designed to serve as a tool to limit, the health care providers
available to patients.
``(c) Consultation.--In developing the information to be
disseminated under this section, the Secretary shall consult with
appropriate medical societies and patient advocates related to breast
cancer, breast reconstructive surgery, breast prostheses, and breast
forms and with patient advocates representing racial and ethnic
minority groups with a special emphasis on African-American and
Hispanic populations.
``(d) Definitions.--In this section, the terms `racial and ethnic
minority group' and `Hispanic' have the meanings given such terms in
section 1707.
``(e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after date of enactment of
the Breast Cancer Patient Education Act of 2013 and every 2 years
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on
Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report describing
the activities carried out under this section during the preceding 2
fiscal years, which shall include an evaluation of the extent to which
such activities have been effective in improving the health and well-
being of racial and ethnic minority groups.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line