Congress gets hit with breast-cancer surgery bill

On May 22, 2008, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has brought forward bill regarding hospital stay for women with breast cancer surgery. Bringing attention to the inconsistencies each state has regarding the hopital stays for women recovering from breast surgery. She has been presenting this to congress for about twelve years now. Dr. Kristen A. Zarfos a director of the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at St. Francis Hospital and a cancer survivor Alva Williams joined in the hearing.

Inside the hearing room, after a full day of dealing with other breast-cancer issues, the subcommittee started on DeLauro's bill. At the witness table were Connecticut's Dr. Kristen Zarfos and Alva Williams, a woman from North Carolina who had gone through what some call a "drive-through mastectomy" and endured a serious infection.

Since the early 1990's hospitals require women to leave immediately after breast surgery.

The issue: Insurance companies have required that women leave hospitals very soon after mastectomy or lumpectomy operations.

Connecticut and nineteen other states have agreed with her bill and are writing their own laws.