Feinberg begins evaluating how to compensate Boston Marathon victims
Lawyer Kenneth Feinberg will have a tough task as he decides how to apportion money from a compensation fund for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.
Feinberg plans to develop a sliding payment scale for the One Fund Boston that is based on the severity of the injuries, the New York Times reports. Three people died in the blasts, and 170 others were injured. The fund has already raised more than $20 million, the New York Times’ blog The Lede reported Tuesday afternoon.
“You can’t pay everyone the same if someone has a broken ankle versus a brain injury,” Feinberg told the Times.
Another issue will be the impact of Massachusetts’ health insurance requirement, according to Ted Miller, a senior research scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. “Massachusetts has been the leader of ‘let’s create health insurance for everyone,’ ” he told the Times. “So it will be very interesting to see how that plays out in terms of how the costs get borne.”
Prior coverage:
ABA Journal: “Master of Disasters: Is Ken Feinberg Changing the Course of Mass Tort Resolution?”
