The word "hero" has become practically meaningless. We throw the term around so much that we devalue those who truly are heroes. I, myself, called my friend a hero a few days ago just for getting me coffee.

But for those heroes who do exist, we, the public, aren't holding up our end of the bargain. It's not just about how we use the term. It's about reciprocating the treatment that made them heroes in the first place.

The New York Times recently published a follow-up piece about the Chilean miners who were trapped for 69 days and their struggle to return to normal life. Most of them have severe and debilitating post-traumatic stress and, only months after being lauded as "heroes," are unable to find jobs and adequately support their families.

For lack of a better term, they were a fad: a feel-good story about the power of human persistence, friendship and the will to live.

Now that the spotlight has dimmed, they're finding life to be more difficult than they ever imagined.

Though they are receiving government aid, it's often not nearly enough to support their families. When they find jobs, their trauma can hinder performance. Oftentimes, employers aren't even willing to try to hire "damaged goods." But before you judge the Chilean government and Chileans in general, think about those we have treated similarly.

Of modern-day heroes, few carry more clout than 9/11 firefighters and first responders. Every anniversary, all types of media are filled with stories about the heroism of those who responded to the attacks. Rightfully so: They are heroes. Lost in this are the dire needs of many of those heroes.

According to a study conducted by the Fire Department of the City of New York in early September of this year, 10 to 30 percent of the 50,000 people exposed to pollutants from Ground Zero continue to suffer from a plethora of illnesses ranging from respiratory problems to mental disorders.

Like the miners, returning to a normal life, working, earning money and supporting a family now proves difficult for those first responders. In January of this year, in order to assist these heroes, Congress passed the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which set aside $1.8 billion for medical costs relating to a specific list of ailments related to work at Ground Zero and also appropriated $2.7 billion as compensation for them.

After 10 years of heated debate from both sides, the plan was enacted only after specific illnesses were chosen.

Notably absent from the list of illnesses is cancer, despite increasing evidence that work at Ground Zero may have caused cancer in many of the firefighters who risked their lives on that day.

This is outrageous. If there is so much as a one-percent chance that working at Ground Zero caused cancer in these firefighters and responders, their medical treatment should be covered in full with no questions asked. The American public doesn't care to wait for results from studies, and the people suffering care even less. Even if cancer were unrelated to this issue, it should be covered. We owe them a debt larger than any amount of money can fill.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue, and this too-little too-late bill is hardly a solution. We know these people aren't trying to "pull a fast one" on the government. They've already given enough to this country to earn our trust.

Liberals want to say that it's the responsibility of the government to right this wrong, yet so far, not much has been done. Conservatives want to count on the private sector for this.

Yet for all the private foundations that have admirably attempted to help those still suffering, they are simply overwhelmed and lack the funding and resources to make a large enough impact.

Has our political system really deteriorated so far? Since when is supporting our heroes a divisive issue?

When analysts look at movements like Occupy Wall Street or try to solve the problem of low voter turnout, they needn't look further than issues like these. Issues that include inadequate support for those returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. They can look even further back at the lack of support for Vietnam veterans.

This country has a troubling history of not paying off our debts to those who risk everything for us Americans. From Chile to the U.S., inadequate support for those who deserve it most represents an inherent disconnect between the people and the politicians.

I know it's not every politician who is at fault, and I'm sure if you asked every single senator and representative they would champion the cause of giving back to our heroes, but the reality is that they haven't.

Or at least not enough. And if heroes can't even count on a government they suffered for to take care of them, what hope do the rest of us have?