Health care bill heads to House for consideration

State Rep. Aaron Miller last week hailed passage of a bill by the House Committee on Appropriations that provides health-care coverage for the spouse and dependents of public-safety officers killed in the line of duty only if the family has no other present coverage and only for a maximum of five years.
Miller said the panel’s strong bipartisan approval of Senate Bill 218 will be a health care lifeline for families who have lost a spouse or parent in the line of duty. Passage of the bill came just an hour before the House of Representatives observed its Sept. 11 Memorial Ceremony, honoring first responders and military members who died while on duty in the past year.
Miller, who serves on the committee, said he has been a supporter of the bill since it was introduced in March, and said providing benefits to survivors is the proper thing to do.
The bill now goes to the full House for consideration.