Why Do We Have BRA Day?

Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day is October 20, 2021! You might be asking why we have a day for it at all. When I was in medical school over 30 years ago, insurance companies didn’t always cover the cost of breast reconstruction after mastectomy. Widespread insurance coverage did not come until the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act was passed on October 21, 1998.

The Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act requires insurance companies to cover breast reconstruction any time a mastectomy is also authorized. That coverage includes revision procedures to refine or correct initial reconstruction. The law created a pathway for doctors to pioneer new breast reconstruction options. Even in this new era for breast reconstruction, there are many people who do not know about all the options available.

The American Association of Plastic Surgeons created Breast Reconstruction Awareness Day to commemorate the day that the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act was signed and to create an opportunity to spread the word on advances in breast reconstruction. BRA Day is observed on the third Wednesday of October every year, which is tomorrow! This year, the doctors in our practice will join BRCAStrong for a series of Instagram Live sessions on the history of breast reconstruction and the importance of knowing your options. Tune in to see me and Dr. Randall Feingold talk about the history at 8am tomorrow.