A new law signed Friday by Gov. Kathy Hochul is meant to aid breast cancer survivors who choose reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy or partial mastectomy. 

The measure is meant to ensure these cancer survivors have proper insurance, and comes as Breast Cancer Awareness Month is being observed. 

"Breast cancer survivors deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by our health care system," Hochul said. "Women who choose chest wall reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy will now have insurance coverage for the procedure and the necessary information to select this option. I am proud to sign this law during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and urge every woman in New York to get a mammogram this year."

The law, sponsored by state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky and Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer-Amato, will require breast reconstruction and chest wall reconstruction to be covered by insurance. It is estimated one in eight women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetimes. 

Some insurers have previously considered such surgeries to be cosmetic, making coverage difficult. 

"We believe women deserve autonomy over their own bodies. If a woman undergoes a mastectomy to combat breast cancer, they have the right to choose from all post-surgery options," Stavisky said. "If a woman chooses to undergo chest wall reconstruction it should be covered by insurance, in the same manner as breast reconstruction."