There Oughta be Another Law! - H.R. 5937

Sculpture Garden - New Orleans City Park

A bill that could significantly empower breast cancer survivors was introduced by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) on the floor of the House of Representatives on June 8th. It’s the Breast Cancer Patient Education Act of 2012 or H.R. 5937 and if passed, its implementation would be spearheaded by the secretary of Health and Human Services.

The Act would require that women be informed of the availability and coverage of reconstruction, prostheses, and other options, and about such choices as immediate vs. delayed procedures and the right to choose a surgeon who provides reconstructive care. For a full reading of the bill (the “Findings” section is very interesting), see: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr5937ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr5937ih.pdf

Since we already have the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (see my March and April blogs) saying women have a right to breast reconstruction after cancer, shouldn’t we also have the right to know what our reconstruction choices are? But as it turns out, only 30% of us actually do.

The bill is currently comatose in the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Govtrack.us gives it only a 4% chance of survival--mainly because that’s the percentage of all House bills in the last couple of years that have actually become law. But I think it has a better prognosis, if Committee members hear from us. And election season is often a time when their hearing improves.

HR 5937 enjoys support by professional organizations, such as the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and many advocacy groups. Perhaps more important these days, it was introduced by a bipartisan team of legislators. If one of them is yours, you can call, text, tweet, post, mail, e-mail, or fe-mail him/her a hearty thumbs up: Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Donna Christensen (D-VI), Hansen Clarke (D-MI), Gerald Connolly (D-VA), Michael Honda (D-CA), Leonard Lance (R-NJ), Barbara Lee (D-CA), John Lewis (D-GA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), James Moran (D-VA), Eleanor Holmes (D-DC), Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). If they’re not on the list, maybe you can convince them to become supporters. FYI - The entire committee membership can be found at this link: http://energycommerce.house.gov/about/members.shtml

On Decatur - You know these guys.
They just stand still.

But ultimately it’s the chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Fred Upton (R-MI), who determines whether the bill will continue to just lie there or gets some legs and moves on to the House. Michigan t'ain't too far from Minnesota. I think I oughta give him a holler. Hey wait, seems he only accepts messages from constituents in his 6th Congressional District in Michigan! Anybody out there?




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twRAJ0IHwT0