Reason to Hate Reagan #5

[beckmann]

Fatal mine explosions naturally grab attention. But many more miners, around 700, die each year from black lung disease. And that number has been going up over the last past decade. Ailing miners apply to a special federal black lung program for benefits, but ultimately it is the mining companies that pay. And overall compensation for black lung disabilities has been shrinking, even as the disease spreads... There was a time the government paid black lung benefits and a third of all claims were approved. Under President Ronald Reagan, paying became the responsibility of the companies. Since then, the proportion of all claims approved has fallen by half.

NPR Link