Sean Patrick Maloney: “I rise to participate in the special order organized by my colleague, the gentlewoman from Connecticut and the…”

“I rise to participate in the special order organized by my colleague, the gentlewoman from Connecticut and the gentlewoman from California and others to salute October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We all know too well the devastating facts. With nearly 200,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed last year, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. I was pleased earlier this year that Congress enacted, as part of its balanced budget, my bipartisan bill, the Breast Cancer Early Detection Act, to allow for annual mammograms for Medicare women. This bill was first introduced in 1992 along with Barbara Vucanovich, who is herself a survivor of breast cancer. We were very pleased that it was included in the balanced budget this year. It certainly makes a very wise investment that will save women's lives. But there is much more that needs to be done. Once breast cancer is diagnosed, sometimes it is too late. But sometimes when treatment is available, a woman can undergo a mastectomy which may save her life. Unfortunately, very often we have seen women who have been forced to leave the hospital with drainage tubes still attached and just like the drive through delivery bill, a national outcry forced us to look at the safety of women who were sent home hours after a radical mastectomy. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 135, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act.”