District 12 Senator Amy Sinclair

A bill passed the Iowa Senate recently that increases coverage on cancer for firefighters.

Senator for District 12 Amy Sinclair says that the bill is one that legislators have been working on for a few years, and that she is pleased that it made it through the Senate. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that there was a lot of work done to the bill.

“I will tell you it took some tweaking. There’s always some concern when you’re broadening that out, if an individual just spent every single day out in the sun and got skin cancer, probably not related to the work that they do. But frankly, firefighters are exposed to so many carcinogens just in the day to day of their work, and it should be on those of us who are relying on them, to help cover those costs for those individuals and families.”

Sinclair mentions that she believes that passing the bill is not only a win for firefighters, but for their families and the state of Iowa as a whole. She adds that she hopes that those facing cancer now because of the work they have done in the service of their communities will be able to access the care they need and deserve if the bill is signed into law, and not have to worry about that part of the treatment as they face the rough and uncertain times of cancer treatment.