Views on Prophylactic Mast

[Cynthia]

Sheila,

I am so sorry to hear that you had that fight. I had no problem getting the insurance to approve removal of the "healthy" breast. I believe the doctor submitted the request with a recommendation that it be done based on medical necessity. (In my case, my dense breast tissue made it very hard to diagnose me on scans and they were concerned about the ability to monitor my "good" breast going forward.) Perhaps the argument that you have had to undergo 7 biopsies is enough to get over the medical necessity threshold to get approval. If this is something you really want to pursue and are turned down, I would go through the appeals process. In light of the recent court decision slamming an insurer for cutting off coverage of a breast cancer patient in the middle of her treatment, you might find a different atmosphere right now.

Best.