The current health care legislation recently passed by the U.S. Senate contains provisions that may provide help for victims of asbestos contamination in Libby, Montana. As reported by The New York Times, the language of the bill proposes extending Medicare coverage for victims of environmental health hazards that were “declared a public health emergency by the government in June.”
That public health emergency refers to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s action this past summer in declaring a publich health emergency for the town of Libby, Montana. Libby is home to the W.R. Grace vermiculite mine that is blamed for widespread asbestos exposure contamination in Libby and the surrounding region. Libby has an extremely high incidence rate of asbestos-related disease, including malignant mesothelioma. Asbestos contamination in the Libby area has been blamed for the deaths of more than 200 people and the illnesses of more than 1,000 more to date. Many have died from mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive form of cancer primarily caused by exposure to airborne asbestos fibers. Close to 3,000 Americans are diagnosed with the cancer yearly. There is no known cure for the disease.
Senator Max Baucus, Democrat of Montana, lobbied to include the Libby passage within the Health Care Reform Bill to expand Medicare to cover asbestos victims in the Libby area. Baucus has fought for years to bring some relief to the Libby residents by pushing for the declaration of the health emergency requiring the federal government to offer screenings and health care for Libby residents as well as authorizing cleanup work in homes and other structures.
As quoted in a New York Times article, Mr. Baucus said “the people of Libby were poisoned and have been dying for more than a decade. We need this type of mechanism to help people when they need it most.”