Your Rights After a Mastectomy
If you request reconstructive surgery, your new Your Rights After A Mastectomy employer’s plan generally must cover it if: n the plan provides coverage for mastectomies, If you have had a mastectomy or expect to have and one, you may be entitled to special rights under n you are receiving benefits under the plan that the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act of are related to your mastectomy. 1998 (WHCRA). The following questions and In addition, your new employer’s plan generally must cover the other benefits specified in answers clarify your basic WHCRA rights. WHCRA, even if you were not enrolled in your new employer’s plan when you had the I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer Do all group health plans and health mastectomy. and plan to have a mastectomy, which insurance companies have to provide my plan covers. Will my health plan reconstructive surgery benefits? The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act cover reconstructive surgery too? Generally, WHCRA applies to all group health includes additional protections. A group health If your group health plan or health insurance plans that provide coverage for medical and plan generally cannot limit or deny benefits company covers mastectomies, it must provide surgical benefits with respect to a mastectomy, relating to a health condition that existed certain reconstructive surgery and other benefits as well as their insurance companies. However, before you enrolled in your new employer’s related to the mastectomy, including: there are exceptions for some “church plans” and plan. For more information, visit dol.gov/ “government plans.” If your coverage is provided agencies/ebsa/laws-and-regulations/ n all stages of reconstruction of the breast on laws/affordable-care-act/for-workers-and- by a “church plan” or “governmental plan,” check which the mastectomy was performed, families or HealthCare.gov.
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