New bill that could cover medical costs for oil field workers
By Alyssa Munoz
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NEW MEXICO (KOAT) — A new bill that could cover medical costs for oil field workers and their immediate families. U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez proposed this bill after he heard concerns from oil field workers in Southeast New Mexico. He said those workers feel they haven’t been heard when it comes to their health.
The bill would require oil and natural gas companies to pay into a trust that provides reimbursement to workers for health costs. Energy companies with annual revenues over $50 million would have to pay into the fund the same amount of money as they pay their 10 highest-paid employees.
“Now this is important because during a time of record high profits for oil and gas companies and where out-of-state CEOs in Houston are making $35 million a year not counting bonuses and what shareholders are making, it’s the workers that need to be taken care of,” said Vasquez.
Some of those health issues include respiratory problems like asthma, heat-related illnesses and diseases connected to methane or smog. Workers would be eligible for reimbursement for costs not covered by private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Families who live within a 20-mile radius of an active oil well site would qualify as well.
Rep. Vasquez held a meeting in Hobbs where he was able to hear testimony from workers themselves.
“They felt like they have no rights, they felt like they were providing for New Mexico’s budget and overall energy economy across the country but felt like they weren’t getting their fair shake,” said Vasquez. “When it came to concerns for health care, they felt like if they were one accident or one respiratory illness away from being unemployed or thrown away.”
The organization Somos Un Pueblo Unido said this is a problem many workers have faced. The community director for Somos Un Pueblo Unido, Maria Romano, said some of the workers are taken advantage of because of the language barrier.
“Workers come every single day and they don’t know who to turn to,” said Romano. “The majority of those who work in the oil field are immigrant workers. They don’t have rights to unemployment or to retirement so when they reach a certain age around 45 to 50 years old, they are already in really bad health conditions.”
Romano said this bill would help workers who’ve had to dig into their savings for health-related costs. Rep. Vasquez said the next step for this bill is to build support in Washington D.C.
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