About 8,000 temporary firefighters and their families now have access to federal health insurance. That’s thanks to a move from the Obama Administration that immediately extends eligibility for the group to Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program.
The change was announced earlier this month, and made official today by a rule change published by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
It was prompted by an online petition that gathered more than 125,000 signatures earlier this summer. The petition was initiated by members of a South-Dakota-based hotshot crew.
While these firefighters are lauded as heros by everyone from politicians to residents, Firefighter John Lauer told the Associated Press:
That’s what makes the job great. But I sometimes wonder to myself. I wonder if people know we’re uninsured.
The temporary firefighters weren't originally covered by federal health insurance because under federal rules, temporary seasonal employees can't buy into federal insurance plans.
But, many—including Colorado Democratic Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall—argued that firefighters who put their lives on the line deserve more.
“Their grueling, life threatening work often requires many more hours than the relatively comfortable and safe jobs so many of us hold,” said Bennet in a statement on Tuesday. “We all owe them a debt of gratitude, and health care benefits for them and their families are the least they deserve.”
