PBA Asks Council To Okay Bill Paying WTC Health-Care Costs

The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association is urging the City Council to pass a bill that would require the city to pay the medical costs for city workers who contracted illnesses and suffered injuries from work at Ground Zero.

In testimony to the Council's Civil Service and Labor Committee June 4, PBA Research Director Frank Tramontano said that while workers with 9/11 ailments can retire on accidental disability pensions, they often cannot receive line-of-duty injury status and the free medical care that comes with it.

Cites Financial Pitfalls

"Currently employees who do not get line-of-duty status for their [World Trade Center]-related illness must rely on the medical benefits provided by their chosen medical plan, which in some cases can pose a severe financial hardship," Mr. Tramontano said in his written testimony. "In addition, union welfare plans must shoulder the cost of prescription drugs for many WTC-related ailments which are considerable. Finally, almost all of the employee plans and union welfare funds require co-payments and have both yearly spending limits and lifetime spending limits, which depending upon your medical needs can be significant."

He went on to say that the bill, known as Intro. 714, "would mandate the city to provide cost-free medical care for the employees who contract the illnesses identified as WTC related in state law," and it "will remove this unfair burden for these employees and because the city would be providing the medical coverage, both early treatment and quality care is more likely to occur, which can make a real difference in these victim's lives."