French lawmakers all voted in favor of a measure. This measure ensures that breast cancer patients won’t have to pay from their own pockets for breast implant replacements or medical tattoos after a mastectomy. On the evening of Tuesday, January 28, the lower house of the French parliament, the Assemblée Nationale, approved a bill. This bill allows social security to cover more of the costs related to breast cancer treatment. The Sénat, the upper house, had passed the bill in October.
Many breast cancer patients who have had a mastectomy (a surgery to remove a breast) choose to have their breast reconstructed with an implant. If there are no issues, the implant can stay in place for many years. But some women need to replace their implants.
Under the new bill, the state will fully reimburse the cost of any new breast implant. It will also cover the cost of a medical tattoo for the areola and nipple, and the cost of an adapted bra to wear after the procedure. These measures mainly aim to reduce the distress that patients feel about their body image. They also aim to improve the mental health of patients after breast removal.
The legislation also wants to ease the costs of the initial breast reconstruction. It will do this by making social security cover the higher fees that some doctors charge. Yannick Monnet, a Communist lawmaker who presented the bill to Parliament, said that until now, the extra costs meant that 15% of patients couldn’t afford to have a breast removed. On average, patients had to pay an additional €1,400 ($1,460) out of their own pockets for extra fees and other related care. This was too much for women with lower incomes.
Under the new law, social security will also help pay for anti-dryness creams and nail varnish. These can prevent nails from falling off during treatment. Additionally, it will cover the cost of psychological care and physical therapy.
Yaël Braun-Pivet, the President of the Assemblée Nationale, said this month that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. She is currently undergoing hormone therapy. According to the World Health Organization, in 2022, 670,000 women died of breast cancer. It is the most common form of cancer among women in most countries.
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