Section 33-24-71. Legislative findings.

   The General Assembly finds and declares that:

   (1) Whereas, until recently health care insurers covered costs of hospital stays of a patient who had undergone a mastectomy or lymph node dissection until that patient was discharged by a physician. Now some insurers are making mastectomies and lymph node dissections an outpatient procedure and refusing to pay for any hospital inpatient care following the procedure;

   (2) There is sufficient scientific data to question the safety and appropriateness of such treatment of breast cancer patients; and

   (3) The length of postmastectomy or postlymph node dissection inpatient stay should be a clinical decision made by a physician in agreement with the patient based on the unique characteristics of the patient and the surgery involved.

Code 1981, § 33-24-71, enacted by Ga. L. 1999, p. 319, § 1.