Rhode Island House passes bill mandating insurance coverage for mastectomies

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — House Majority Leader K. Joseph Shekarchi made it his personal mission to pass legislation that would spare women from getting surprise medical bills after a mastectomy.

He tried last year without success in the face of heavy opposition from the insurance industry. He tried again this year, and the House on Tuesday unanimously approved a reworked version of his bill.

“This bill makes it clear that insurers must cover all of the costs of mastectomies, without copays and deductibles,” Shekarchi said. “Breast cancer is a very emotional cancer, one that can leave even those who fight it very successfully with a tremendous feeling of loss. That loss should not be compounded by struggles to pay for their treatment, heal and recover their lives.”

The legislation headed to the Senate removes these words from current law: “Nothing in this section shall be construed to require an individual or group policy to cover the surgical procedure known as mastectomy or to prevent application of deductible or co-payment provisions contained in the policy or plan.”

Read more: http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20180620/ri-house-passes-bill-mandating-insurance-coverage-for-mastectomies