An alliance of mesothelioma patients and 34 doctors is pressing Congress to reconsider its bill, and expand it to meet the needs of those with mesothelioma cancer and other asbestos-related illnesses. In a positioning paper, the Doctor-Patient Alliance for Responsible Asbestos Cancer Policy stated:

“The $1.1 million cap is insufficient to meet the medical, hospital, travel, lodging and other costs of mesothelioma patients who pursue the best treatments, which include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of therapies.

“Moreover, it is insufficient to address the ongoing medical costs of patients who survive long enough to outlive the median survival time but who remain disabled and unable to earn a living. The bill therefore discriminates against early stage, usually younger, patients whose life-long medical costs are certain to exceed the $1.1 million cap.”

The paper also listed 14 mesothelioma patients, ranging from 15-years old to 59-years old at time of diagnosis, with their verified medical costs. The range was between just over $200,000 to over $1.4 million.

The Alliance also noted that awards for victims of the 9/11 attacks ranged from $250,000 to $8.6 million for survivors, and up to $2 million for families of the deceased. The Alliance would like to see a similar system put into place, where victims can submit their claims to an independent arbitrator not constrained by caps. Awards would be given case-by-case and be based on current real and future projected medical bills, associated medical costs, and other related costs.

Another area that the Alliance would like to see expanded is the amount of money put into research, about 1% of the $140 billion. As noted in the paper, there is currently no accurate method of tracking mesothelioma patients and deaths on a national level, so it is difficult to know what the full scope of the problem is. And because diseases like mesothelioma usually take 20-40 years to develop, it is hard to pinpoint the origins of the disease. With the rising incidence of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related illnesses, finding out this kind of information will help diagnose and treat future patients faster, and possible increase their life spans.

If you have developed mesothelioma or any other type of asbestos-related illness, contact an asbestos lawyer at Jim S. Adler & Associates for a free case review and find out what your rights are. You may be entitled to compensation to help you cope with rising medical bills, lost time from work, and pain and suffering. Even under the FAIR Act, should it pass in Congress, nobody is going to compensate you until you file a claim. With proper legal counsel by your side, you will increase your chances of a higher and faster settlement to help you when you need it most.

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