Claire McCaskill : Protecting Miners’ Healthcare & Benefits is Aim of Bipartisan McCaskill-Backed Bill

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

WASHINGTON - Continuing her pledge to ensure retired miners and their families receive the benefits promised to them by the federal government, U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill joined a bipartisan group of Senators to push to renew the Miners Protection Act. This legislation would ensure that the federal government and coal operators honor their obligation of lifetime pensions and health benefits-set to expire in April-to retired miners and their families.

'Harry Truman-whose Senate seat I hold today-made a promise to these coal miners when he was President, that their government would honor their pensions and health benefits,' said McCaskill. 'I hope elected Republicans in the U.S. House will finally recognize that keeping that promise is the right thing to do for these miners and their families, whose blood, sweat and tears powered this country for generations.'

In December, Congress passed a four-month stop-gap measure to fund healthcare and benefits for 16,300 retired American coal miners and their families. McCaskill blasted Republican leadership for failing to provide these miners with barely another month of coverage before they would receive a 90-day notice of cancellation. McCaskill is pushing for certainty for these retirees and their families with the permanent health insurance solutions in the Miners Protection Act, so they aren't facing the loss of their insurance every few months.

McCaskill cited a letter she received from Billy Hull, a retired coal miner with nearly 30 years working at the Peabody Coal Power Mine near Montrose, Missouri. Mr. Hull wrote to McCaskill last year, saying in part: 'My wife Earlene is a 2 time cancer survivor and I suffered a stroke in 2012. If we lose our benefits it will be hard for us to afford our medicine cost. Due to the bankruptcy of both Peabody Coal Co. and the Patriot Coal Company the Patriot VEBA fund will be exhausted in late 2016 leaving us without pension and healthcare benefits…'

In December, McCaskill also highlighted President-elect Donald Trump's repeated statements of support for America's coal miners, and called on him to urge Republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate to address the pending crisis.

Two years ago, McCaskill was the only member of the Missouri Congressional delegation to vote against a sprawling, $1 trillion end-of-year spending package. Tucked into that 'omnibus' spending bill was a provision allowing for deep cuts to retiree benefits for 32,000 Missourians participating in the Central States Pension Plan. McCaskill is a strong supporter and cosponsor of the Keep Our Pension Promises Act, which would repeal the law that allows for massive pension cuts.

Visit mccaskill.senate.gov/rural to learn more about McCaskill's fight to protect rural Missouri.

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