TY  - CHAP
M1  - Book, Section
TI  - Chapter 73. The Epidemiology of Breast Reconstruction in North America
A1  - Alderman, Amy K.
A1  - Streu, Rachel
A1  - Wilkins, Edwin G.
A2  - Kuerer, Henry M.
PY  - 2010
T2  - Kuerer's Breast Surgical Oncology
AB  - After  years  of  lobbying  by  women's  health  advocates  and  amidst  much  fanfare,  the  1998  Federal  Breast  Cancer  Reconstruction  Law  (also  referred  to  as  the  Women's  Health  and  Cancer  Rights  Act  of  1998,  or  WHCRA)  was  signed  into  law  by  President  Bill  Clinton.1  Passage  of  this  legislation  marked  the  culmination  of  intensive  lobbying  efforts  by  breast  cancer  survivors,  clinicians,  researchers,  and  policymakers  to  ensure  coverage  of  breast  reconstruction  following  mastectomy  by  health  care  payers.  In  the  2  decades  prior  to  the  passage  of  the  WHCRA,  a  growing  body  of  research  demonstrated  significant  psychosocial  and  quality-of-life  benefits  for  those  receiving  breast  reconstruction.2-4  Largely  as  a  consequence  of  these  studies,  provider  and  patient  perceptions  evolved  away  from  viewing  breast  reconstruction  as  a  "cosmetic"  procedure.  Instead,  health  care  professionals  and  consumers  concluded  that  the  creation  of  a  new  breast  following  mastectomy  was  a  reconstructive  operation  and,  for  many  women,  an  important  element  in  breast  cancer  recovery.  Despite  changing  attitudes,  some  health  care  payers  had  failed  to  include  breast  reconstruction  among  their  covered  benefits,  steadfastly  maintaining  that  these  operations  were  cosmetic  in  nature.  With  enactment  of  the  WHCRA,  this  barrier  was  removed.  The  law  mandated  that  health  plans  include  breast  and  nipple  reconstruction  as  well  as  contralateral  breast  symmetry  procedures  among  their  benefits  afforded  to  mastectomy  patients.  
SN  - 
PB  - The McGraw-Hill Companies
CY  - New York, NY
Y2  - 2024/04/20
UR  - accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=6415681
ER  -