Gov. Mills allows Sen. Bailey bill to expand access to preventive cancer and cardiac screenings for firefighters and police officers to become law
AUGUSTA — Yesterday, Gov. Mills announced that she will allow a bill from Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, to become law. LD 784, “An Act to Create a Rebuttable Presumption Related to Specialized Risk Screening for First Responders,” will create an additional tool for first responders to obtain health insurance coverage for cancer and cardiac health risk screenings, expanding access to these screenings for first responders — including firefighters and police officers.
“As the Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee, I have been honored to lead this effort to protect the brave men and women who protect us,” said Sen. Bailey. “It is critical that firefighters, first responders and police officers receive coverage for these potentially life-saving health screenings. We all know that the chances for preventing or surviving serious health conditions — like cancer, heart attacks or strokes — rely on early diagnoses and regular screenings. Now that the bill has become law, these heroes will have another tool to get coverage for the screenings they deserve.”
The new law will establish a rebuttable presumption in the case that a health insurance carrier denies a first responder coverage for a specialized health risk screening. It will not require health coverage for the screening, but it will shift the burden of proof from the first responder to the health insurance carrier in cases when the carrier denied coverage for a specialized preventive health risk screening. The first responder would have to appeal the denial, and, if the appeal failed, they will have the option to file a lawsuit against the carrier.
These appeals and lawsuits are separate from the process for filing a claim with the Workers Compensation Board, which does not provide compensation for preventive health care. Those claims are only for workplace injuries.
During the public hearing, Sen. Bailey shared the story (originally reported by Norah Hogan for WMTW Channel 8 News) of Saco Fire Department Firefighter Lt. Sarai Briggs. She is a mother of three who, knowing the elevated health risks associated with firefighting, was forced to pay out of pocket for the cost of a preventive cancer screening. Even though she had no symptoms, the test detected thyroid cancer. Her decision enabled her doctors to catch the cancer early and she is fortunately now cancer free. The preventative screening likely saved her life.
In that story, WMTW reported that firefighters are regularly exposed to at least 13 chemicals, including arsenic, asbestos and sulfuric acid, which cause cancer. WMTW also cited data from the American Cancer Society, which found that firefighters have a 9% higher risk for cancer compared to the general population. That risk is even higher for certain types of cancer, like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and prostate cancer.
As non-emergency legislation that was held by the Governor, the new law will take effect 90 days after the 132nd Maine State Legislature adjourns the Second Regular Session, which began yesterday.
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