---
title: O.C.G.A. § 33-24-71. Legislative findings.
collection: code
id: 33-24-71
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 33-24-71 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-71
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-71.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-71/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t33-ch23-65-(v25)-2020-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=68297_0#page=395
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-70.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/33-24-72.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md
version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: INSURANCE / INSURANCE GENERALLY / BREAST CANCER PATIENT CARE
---

# O.C.G.A. § 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.

## History

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