It’s been a long fight for justice but firefighters throughout the state are anxiously looking forward to Governor Abbott signing SB-2551, a bill passed in the final weekend of the 2019 legislative session that is expected to stop insurance companies from denying coverage to firefighters with cancer.
“For the first time in almost 20 years this is meaningful, impactful legislation that affects so many of our Houston firefighters with cancer,” says Houston Firefighter Union President Marty Lancton. We have over a dozen active firefighters with cancer.”
In 2005 a bill was passed that declared the presumption that what firefighters contend with fighting fires in their profession exposes them to toxic carcinogens. “Firefighters are coming down with unbelievably high rates of cancer,” says Lancton.
In spite of that, through a loophole, health insurance companies in Texas servicing workman’s comp claims have denied firefighters coverage for the costs of treating cancer.
SB-2551 is expected to change that. Governor Abbott is expected to sign the measure into law soon.