NEW YORK — Fourteen years after the 9/11 attacks, a new round of uncertainty looms for people exposed to the million tons of toxic dust that fell on New York when hijacked jets toppled the World Trade Center.
Two federal programs that promised billions of dollars in compensation and medical care to sick 9/11 responders and survivors are set to expire next year, five years after they were created by Congress.
As Friday’s anniversary of the terror attacks approached, advocates for responders renewed their push for an extension. Bills in the House and Senate would keep the health program going indefinitely while making billions of additional dollars available for compensation for people who fall ill.
But the debate over an extension is taking place in a fog of ambiguity. Many 9/11 responders, like Charles Diaz, are trying to figure out whether some or all of their care might be covered by private, public or union health insurance plans when the programs end.