Senator Brownsberger received many emails like that below encouraging him to co-sponsor An Act relative to Lyme Disease treatment coverage. In response to these requests, Senator Brownsberger has signed on to co-sponsor SD985, An Act relative to Lyme Disease treatment coverage.
Dear Representatives,
As someone who suffers from debilitating Lyme disease (or: As someone who cares about those struggling with Lyme disease), I strongly urge you to co-sponsor H.D. 469 An Act Relative to Lyme Disease Treatment Coverage. Chairman Linsky has filed H.D. 469 to protect Lyme disease patients’ access to care. H.D. 469 mandates health insurance coverage for Massachusetts residents who are being treated for Lyme disease.
Currently, some insurance providers deny coverage for Lyme disease treatment to Massachusetts residents. As a result, many Commonwealth residents are unable to afford necessary treatment, resulting in their Lyme disease becoming debilitating and potentially deadly. Gaping holes in insurance coverage place people’s lives on the line.
Too often, insurance providers, not doctors, dictate medical care to Massachusetts residents suffering from Lyme disease. This bill will put the power of medical decision-making back into the hands of trained physicians and help the thousands of residents in the Commonwealth suffering from Lyme disease afford the treatment recommended to them by their physicians. H.D. 469 builds on the Massachusetts Physician Protection Act enacted in 2011, which allows physicians to treat Lyme disease for longer than a month without censure.
According to the Massachusetts Special Commission to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Incidence and Impact of Lyme Disease, H.D. 469 is the next necessary and recommended step to help Massachusetts citizens affected by Lyme disease. One of the Commission’s recommendations is for “mandatory Lyme disease insurance coverage to be enacted in Massachusetts.”
Importantly, the recent Massachusetts Center for Health and Information Analysis (CHIA) report findings support that An Act Relative to Lyme Disease Treatment Coverage, if passed, would result in little to no ($0.0) impact on the cost of insurance.
I look forward to hearing from your office. Thank you for your time and consideration.
http://lymedisease.org/news/lyme_disease_views/lyme-insurance-bill-mass.html
Anne Johnson Landry
Committee Counsel and Policy Advisor
Office of Senator William N. Brownsberger