By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
LOWER MANHATTAN — The $4.3 billion James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act officially went into effect Friday morning, guaranteeing health care for thousands of recovery workers and downtown residents who are sick.
Doctors, political officials and union leaders hailed the new law at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday at Mount Sinai Medical Center, where more than 20,000 9/11 responders have received treatment in the past 10 years.
"Today we're paying a part of that debt that can never fully be repaid," said Kathleen Sebelius, the U.S. secretary of health and human services.
"We're making a national promise…. Rescue workers and community survivors will no longer have to worry that funds will be present every year."
The new law provides $1.5 billion to treat 9/11 recovery workers and survivors over the next five years and to research their illnesses, which include lung disease, asthma, esophageal disease and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the past, politicians had to fight for funding one year at a time, and it was always in danger of being cut, which put an unnecessary stress on patients who rely on the free medical care, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
"Today, the uncertainty has lifted," Bloomberg said. "We can give them the care they need and the care they deserve."
More than 60,000 people have sought medical treatment or monitoring exams after being exposed to clouds of toxic dust on 9/11 and in the days that followed. The new law provides enough money to treat an additional 25,000 responders and 25,000 survivors.
The law also creates a $2.8 billion Victim Compensation Fund to help those who are sick.
Many of the speakers Friday morning were incredulous that it had taken a herculean eight-year effort to pass what they saw as morally imperative legislation.
"We don't leave our dead on the battlefield," said Al Hagan, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, "and we certainly shouldn't leave our sick and wounded in hospital beds without funding."
While everyone applauded the legislation, several people pointed out that the free healthcare only lasts for five years, less than many had hoped.
"Today, we celebrate," said Suzy Ballantyne, a leader at the AFL-CIO union organization. "This afternoon, we have to start the process again. We have to be there every day. We can't forget."
