Proposed legislation provides health coverage for fishermen

PEABODY – Providing low-cost health insurance to commercial fishermen and their families through an influx of government funds is a step in the right direction and would showcase Massachusetts’ Fishing Partnership Health Plan model, said U.S. Rep. John F. Tierney, a Salem Democrat who joined colleagues this week in support of the proposal.”Fishing is an arduous occupation, and the industry has been hit hard in recent years on the North Shore and across the nation,” Tierney said. “The availability of comprehensive, affordable health coverage is crucial.”Passage of the legislation would enable continued support for the state’s fishing community and extend the successful fishing partnership health plan model across the nation, he said.The bill, introduced Wednesday, would authorize funding to replicate the Massachusetts model in other coastal states or adopt a similar plan more in tune with regional circumstances and type of fishing. It authorizes $50 million over five years for program planning, implementation and continuation grants in states with commercial fishing industries. Massachusetts would be eligible to receive continuation grants.In Massachusetts, the model provides health coverage to over 2,000 fishermen and their families. Since it was launched 10 years ago, the rate of uninsured fishermen in the state has fallen from 43 percent to 13 percent, said Tierney, noting the plan is financed partly by federal and state funds and the fishermen receiving coverage.Senators Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, along with Representatives Barney Frank and William Delahunt, joined the ranks of those in support of the plan.”This is a unique opportunity to provide good coverage to the nation’s fishermen. The Massachusetts Fishing Partnership Plan is a proven success in covering the state’s fishermen, and federal funds have contributed significantly to that success. This bill will enable fishermen in other states to get good coverage as well,” Kennedy said.Kerry said no fisherman should go to sea worried about whether their child will be able to get the prescription or medical treatment they need. “Despite technological advances since fishing schooners first left the harbors of Gloucester and New Bedford, the job of a fishermen remains among the most dangerous. This legislation will allow fishermen, many facing mounting financial pressure, to provide critical health coverage for themselves and their families,” he said.The Commercial Fishing Industry Health Care Coverage Act of 2008 would appropriate $5 million in government funds the first two years; $10 million the second two years; and $20 million in the fifth year.