The legislation was presented to the US Congress and President George W. bush to enact the federal “Commercial Fishing Health Care Coverage Act of 2008,” which would provide coverage for the nation’s commercial fishing men and women. Wiggins is the chairperson of the Joint Legislative Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture. She said that even though commercial fishing remains one of the nation’s most dangerous professions, the number of men and women in that industry who lack health insurance is “three to four times greater than the national average.”
It is said that if this legislation become law, the federal bills would authorize funding to coastal states for planning and implementation of health care programmes specific to the needs of a state’s commercial fishing fleet. The bill underlines the health care crisis facing by America’s fishing men and women is acute and it also threatening the economic viability of the nation’s fishing fleet and its associated public benefits and urges the government to include it in the Commercial Fishing Health Care Coverage Act; and be it further.
According to Wiggins the legislation would be a beneficial tool for the fishing men and women and it would boost the industry. It will help the commercial fishermen to do their job without any hesitation of health as it would be the responsibility of the authority.
