In the 2021 Legislative Session, Senator Jeff Howe (R-Rockville) authored the Hometown Heroes Act, which was included in the Senate’s final Judiciary budget. The bill addressed the alarmingly high incidence of cancer, cardiac issues, and emotional trauma facing the over 22,000 firefighters across the state. The legislation was again presented in the Judiciary Committee last week to clarify who is eligible for benefits and how the bill’s insurance option interacts and conforms to insurance regulations.

The original bill established a critical care policy option for all firefighters diagnosed with cancer or cardiac issues. Clarification language states that this insurance option is only to be offered to active-duty firefighters. Any firefighter that has been diagnosed with cancer or heart disease after August 1, 2021, qualifies for the policy, given that they apply for coverage within the 12-month window beginning after diagnosis.

“This was an extremely important bill last year, but we needed to clean it up a bit,” said Howe. “There was confusion about this being an insurance option for some of the bravest frontline workers in our state. It’s important the intent is clear because this is a critical program for all active firefighters. We’re working to retain these brave men and women by ensuring they are healthy and have access to quality critical care policies. For these benefits to properly serve them, we needed to make minor adjustments that will improve this important program.”

This week’s language clarified 3 key portions of the program:

• Defines “critical illness” as a “cardiac disease and cancer as well as other illnesses covered by a policy of insurance”
• Clarifies which firefighters are eligible for the program
• Clarifies the start date of benefits