In 2024, Indiana became the second state in the nation (after New York) to legally update the definition of breast reconstruction to include aesthetic flat closure/chest wall reconstruction, by unanimously passing the bipartisan Breast Cancer House Bill 1058. 

 

Now the fight has moved to the federal level with the introduction of H.R. 5813. This bill aims to modernize the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA), which originally required insurance to cover the cost of breast reconstruction. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons, with the support of Not Putting on a Shirt and Hoosier Breast Cancer Advocates, are leading the national effort to add chest wall reconstruction to the bill. This change ensures insurers must cover it, surgeons are reimbursed, and patients receive the intentional, high-quality results they choose.

 

The bill currently uses the phrase “flat closure,” which is undefined — meaning insurers could potentially still deny coverage for proper aesthetic outcomes. In order to update the definition to the NCI-defined term “aesthetic flat closure," we need your help! Take action by signing the petition at: NotPuttingOnAShirt.org/Petition

 

Together, we can ensure every patient choosing to go flat gets the dignity, outcome, and coverage they deserve.