More Funding Needed For 9/11-Related Health Problems, Lawmakers Say

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Bio-terrorism / Terrorism;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 06 Mar 2007 - 14:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday said that the federal government should provide more funding for programs that treat first responders to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City, CQ HealthBeat reports. At a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization and Procurement, Democratic lawmakers said that programs monitoring the health of first responders also should receive additional funding and that monitoring and treatment programs should be extended to others who were exposed to the dust cloud that surrounded the area. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said that he and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) are proposing legislation that would provide Medicare benefits to people with Sept. 11-related illnesses and establish a coalition of organizations to monitor affected individuals. "In terms of scope, fewer than 40,000 9/11-affected individuals are currently being monitored or treated with the little existing federal money," Nadler said, adding that the New York City mayor's office estimates that as many as 681,000 people eventually will seek treatment for Sept. 11-related conditions. HHS Assistant Secretary John Agwunobi testified that the federal government is "absolutely committed" to providing the "appropriate support" to Sept. 11 first responders. Agwunobi said that the federal government spent $70 million for treatment of first responders in 2006 and intends to review its request for an additional $25 million for such programs in 2007. Asked whether the administration planned to provide funding for the treatment of others affected by the dust cloud, Agwunobi said, "[V]ery clearly there are many unanswered questions regarding residents" (Reichard, CQ HealthBeat, 3/1).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations