Expand / Collapse search
☰
Extreme Heat Warning
until SUN 8:00 PM MST, Grand Canyon Country
6
Extreme Heat Warning
from SAT 11:00 AM MST until SUN 8:00 PM MST, Marble and Glen Canyons
Wind and Dust Advisory
from SAT 6:00 PM MST until SAT 10:00 PM MST, Northwest Pinal County, Gila Bend, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, West Pinal County, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument
Wind and Dust Advisory
from SAT 3:00 PM MST until SAT 9:00 PM MST, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson
Wind and Dust Advisory
from SAT 4:00 PM MST until SAT 11:00 PM MST, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park
Air Quality Alert
until SAT 11:00 PM MST, Pinal County

New Arizona law stops insurance companies from denying firefighters' cancer claims

By  and 
Katie Hobbs
Published July 10, 2026 5:00 PM MST
Published July 10, 2026 5:00 PM MST
AZ fixes typo that hurt firefighters with cancer
AZ fixes typo that hurt firefighters with cancer

AZ fixes typo that hurt firefighters with cancer

Bipartisan legislation fixes a typographical error in state law that insurance companies used to deny claims to firefighters with cancer.

The Brief

    • Gov. Katie Hobbs held a ceremony to officially sign the Comma Bill into law, closing an insurance loophole.
    • Insurance companies previously used a missing comma in state law to deny workers' compensation claims to firefighters.
    • The newly signed legislation passed with broad bipartisan support and applies retroactively to 2021 to cover previously denied first responders.

PHOENIX - Arizona firefighters battling cancer will no longer have to fight insurance companies over a typo in state law.

What we know:

Gov. Katie Hobbs held a bill-signing ceremony on Friday where she officially signed legislation dubbed the "Comma Bill" into law, closing a loophole.

Sun City firefighter Matthew O'Reilly says the fix was long overdue. (Courtesy: Gov. Katie Hobbs)

The backstory:

Insurance companies had been using a missing comma in the state's previous law to deny firefighters comp claims. They argued that because a comma was missing after the word "adeno-carcinoma," the law only covered cancers found specifically in the respiratory tract and not the same cancer anywhere else in the body.

What they're saying:

Sun City firefighter Matthew O'Reilly says the fix was long overdue.

"When you're diagnosed with cancer, your world gets very small you start thinking about your wife and your children and thinking about if you're going to be OK… I never thought I'd have to fight for my benefits," O'Reilly said. "This is just not about punctuation. It's about people. It's about families… and knowing Arizona will protect them when they need it most."

Gov. Katie Hobbs said she signed SB1215 "to ensure our heroes get the workers’ comp and cancer coverage they deserve." (Courtesy: Gov. Katie Hobbs)

Dig deeper:

The new law extends retroactively to 2021, to cover first responders previously denied claims under the typo. The legislation was passed with broad bipartisan support.

The Source: Information in this story was gathered from an Office of the Arizona Governor press conference on July 10, 2026.

Katie HobbsArizonaNewsHealth