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House Gives First Round Approval to Women's Health Bill

The Missouri House gave first-round approval to a measure requiring insurance companies to pay for women who undergo mastectomy to stay in the hospital forty-eight hours.

Missy Shelton has details from Jefferson City.

The doctor and patient would decide whether or not a forty-eight hour stay is needed.

If it is, the insurance company would foot the bill for the stay under a women's health measure being debated in the House.

Opposition came from those like Republican Luann Ridgeway who said the bill left out other surgerical proceedures.

Actuality:Luann Ridgeway
RunTime:
OutCue:
Contents: [180K WAV file - Luann Ridgeway] Luann Ridgeway asks what is special about a mastectomy that we need to mandate forty-eight hours for all mastectomies whether partial or total. What is special about that proceedure that's not peculiar to other proceedures that we don't mandate the same thing?

The measure faces a final vote before it can go to the Senate.

From Jefferson City, I'm Missy Shelton for K-M-O-X News.

A bill that would require insurance companies to pay for a forty-eight hour hospital stay following a mastectomy is one step closer to becoming law.

Missy Shelton has more from Jefferson City.

First-round approval came for the bill dealing with insurance coverage for mastectomies despite opposition.

Those who opposed the bill said mastectomies were no different from other surgical proceedures and singling it out made women feel worse about what's done to their bodies.

Connie Cierpoit is a Republican from Independence.

Actuality:Cierpiot
RunTime:
OutCue:
Contents: [230K WAV file - Connie Cierpoit] Connie Cierpoit says to compare the loss of a breast to an arm or a leg. It's just outrageous. And in anyway to see it as a mutilation or a handicap or a disability. It's more of an emotional issue. It's a real issue of breat cancer and if you have breast cancer, mastectomy is your friend.

The measure faces a final vote before going to the Senate.

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