Maine Senate gives initial support to Sen. Bailey bill to expand access to preventive cancer screenings for firefighters and police officers
AUGUSTA – On Tuesday, May 20, the Maine Senate gave its initial support to a bill from Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco. LD 784, “An Act to Require Health Insurance Coverage for Specialized Risk Screenings for First Responders,” would expand access to preventive cancer screenings for first responders, including firefighters and police officers.
“As the Senate Chair of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee, it remains a top priority for me to help first responders, like firefighters and police officers, afford the preventive health screenings that can save their lives,” said Sen. Bailey. “It can be challenging to require health insurance companies to cover a certain screening or test, but I’m hopeful that this legal tool will nudge them in that direction. The ultimate goal, of course, is that first responders will not have to appeal these screenings in the future. They’ll simply be covered. It’s only right that we protect those who protect us.”
As amended, the bill would establish a rebuttable presumption in a cause of action that a health insurance carrier failed to provide medically necessary care when denying a first responder coverage for a specialized health risk screening. It would not require health coverage for the screening, but it would 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 would 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.
In the coming weeks, LD 784 will face additional votes in the House and Senate.
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