This Just In… NY Bill has PASSED in the Senate!
As of May 31st, the New York AFC bill has passed in the Senate, and should be signed into law by the governor later this year! Women in New York State will no longer have to fight their insurance companies to get coverage for their AFC (Aesthetic Flat Closure) surgeries.
Huge thanks to Senator Toby Ann Stavisky for sponsoring the bill, to Representative Stacey Pheffer Amato for her leadership in the Assembly, to all the members of the NY Congress who voted in support of the bill, to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) for their support, and to all the many folks who worked tirelessly over the past seven months to get this done!
How was this accomplished?
Based on connections made in Flat Retreat Community in October of 2021, advocates including Jo Amato , Melissa Eppard, Christy Avila and Kimberly Bowles joined forces with Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato to compose an amendment to NY state law to rectify a loophole which allowed insurance companies to deny coverage for AFC services. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the bill’s sponsors in the Assembly, their staff, advocates and volunteers from NY state, the bill passed unopposed in both houses. As of May 31, 2022, the bill is on its way to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
What does it mean?
When the bill is signed into law, it will ensure that insurance companies cannot deny coverage for AFC surgeries, including a plastic surgeon at the initial mastectomy, as well as subsequent revision surgeries, in New York State. The bill also serves as a template for amending the federal law (WHCRA, Women’s Health & Cancer Rights Act) which will not only protect patients nationwide, but will also be foundational to an improved standard of care for women going flat.
Learn more about the bill at NotPuttingonaShirt.org/NYBill
I love you people! I’ve been dreaming about this since my double mastectomy nine years ago. I’m going to keep trying to get my insurance to pay for this. I spent 20 years on active duty. This really isn’t asking too much!!