Times Herald Record: 'Nothing we can do' for Lyme disease as costly treatment option denied
This very informative article discusses why my TickBITE Act (S.3478) is so important. The proposed legislation would require health insurers and workers’ compensation to provide coverage for long-term medical care for Lyme disease and other tick-borne pathogens. It also establishes the tick-borne illness, research, and education fund.
This is why two state lawmakers in this region with the nation's highest incidence of Lyme – state Sen. Terry Gipson, D-Poughkeepsie, and Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, D-Kingston – are sponsoring companion bills in the state Legislature that would remedy the situation that Raucci calls “potentially life threatening.”
The bills (S03478 and A05174) “require insurers to provide long- term medical care for Lyme disease and other tick borne related pathogens.”“Insurance companies are not prepared to deal with it,” says Gipson. “The side effects go on for years and years and the insurance just doesn't cover it.”