On 9/11 there were the hundreds of people who ran away from the disasters. Then there were the people who ran toward the collapsing World Trade Center to help—police, paramedics, and other first responders. Many of these heroes have suffered debilitating medical problems and have even died because of the toxins released at the site of the deadliest terrorist attack ever to hit US soil.
Clearly, the nation owes something to these modern heroes. But how can we make sure that they receive the ongoing care they need while still making sure that the physicians and other healthcare providers who care for them can still make a living?
A potential answer lies in the Zadroga bill, named after a New York City police detective who spent several weeks at Ground Zero and who in 2006 was the first 9/11 responder to have his death linked to the disaster.
The bill would establish an $11.6 billion fund over 10 years, with about a third of that amount going to cover victims’ healthcare costs and the rest to compensate them for their losses. The bill’s formal name is the 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.
One would think that passing the bill would have been a done deal a long time ago, even given the polarized state of the US Congress. However, in the most recent failed attempt at passage last summer, political games by both Democrats and Republicans kept the bill from going through.
While this one bill isn’t something that will have much of an effect on physicians throughout the country, the saga behind it is something that doctors should pay attention to. Why? Because it’s one more example of the way that the US Congress ignores the needs of doctors.
Should this bill pass, the heroes who rushed in to help during and after 9/11 will finally be able to rely on healthcare funding rather than waiting and hoping it will happen. Their doctors won’t be faced with the hard choices of helping true heroes at the expense of their own bottom lines. In other words, this is a situation where people will finally win, if only partially in the case of the 9/11 first responders who are still alive.
The fact that it has taken four years from the first confirmed 9/11-related death among those first responders, though, is just another example of the problems that Congress has dealing with everything related to healthcare and healthcare expenses.
So what can physicians, who are the front line when it comes to care of all patients, do in their own behalf? First, doctors need to confront the AMA on its handling of the recent healthcare reform legislation. That massive set of bills may or may not bring down the cost of healthcare, but one thing it will bring down is the income of physicians who accept Medicaid and Medicare.
Next, physicians need to take the time to make their voices heard in Congress. Letters do have an impact. So do campaign donations.
Finally, physicians need to do everything in their power to take control of and manage their own personal finances to try to ensure their standard of living. Because that standard of living is under attack.
The heroes of 9/11 deserve the care that may finally be coming to them, and it’s a good thing that they may finally be getting it.
Now let’s make sure that the physicians who make up the front line of the nation’s healthcare system get a bit of consideration, too.
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