New Connecticut Public
Law brings Lyme Statute under scrutiny!
Effective July 1, 2009, the Connecticut legislature and Governor
Rell will take the first step in repealing the state’s
Lyme insurance mandate. Ct Public Law 09-179, An Act Concerning
Reviews of Health Insurance Benefits Mandated in this State,
(see: )
brings all state health mandates under consideration for repeal
by authorizing “the Insurance Commissioner to contract
with The University of Connecticut Center for Public Health
and Health Policy to conduct health benefit mandate reviews”
for the Legislative Insurance committee. This bill was strongly
supported by the health insurer lobby that felt health mandates
should be repealed for cost-containment reasons. One mentioned
target is Connecticut’s first pro-Lyme patient legislation
that required insurers to provide full coverage for long-term
antibiotic treatment. This Lyme insurance mandate became effective
in 2000. (see:
)
According to Karen
Vanderhoof-Forschner, LLM, Chair, Lyme Disease Foundation,
“This is a clear step toward repeal of the Lyme disease
treatment mandate that has been in effect for the last nine
years.” While some Connecticut Lyme groups testified
against the bill and had hoped that the Lyme disease mandate
would be grandfathered in order to avoid potential repeal,
other Lyme groups ignored the bill thinking that it would
never pass. Unfortunately, the Mandate Review Bill did pass,
was signed into law, and is now effective.
The Lyme treatment
insurance treatment mandate passed in 1999, after a multiyear
effort by Connecticut Support Group leaders Chris Montes and
Randy Sykes, along with the assistance of the LDF, Attorney
General Blumenthal, and many others in the state who educated
the legislature, negotiated hard, and were eventually successful
in passing this into law.
Anyone interested
in working together to keep the Lyme treatment insurance mandate
in place should contact the LDF, P.O. Box, 332, Tolland, CT
06084 sending your name, address and email. We will keep you
informed when the review for the Lyme bill is requested by
the Ct. Legislature.
Sincerely,
Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner
Governor Rell Signs
Bill That Shields
Doctors in Treatment of Lyme Disease
(It is important to recognize
that a BIG thanks goes to ALL the Ct. groups, including the efforts
of the CT Coalition (Randy Sykes), Randys support group, Margie
Tietjen, etc., who worked for the passage of this legislation,
including many others showing up for the hearing and even others
submitting testimony. I was pleased the LDF testimony was quoted
on the legislative assessment for this bill.
Common Ground is GOOD!
My best,
Karen Vanderhoof-Forschner )
Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced
she has signed a bill allowing doctors to prescribe long-term
antibiotics in the treatment of persistent Lyme disease outside
of standard guidelines without fear of sanctions from state health
regulators if the patients clinical diagnosis of the tick-borne
disease and treatment have been documented by a licensed physician.
Doctors in Connecticut the absolute
epicenter of Lyme disease can continue to do what is best for
their patients suffering from this complex illness. I think most
people know someone who has been infected, Governor Rell said.
The bill also recognizes that Lyme disease patients must have
the freedom to choose which remedy or regimen best meets their
needs.
The disease gets its name from
the shoreline town of Lyme, Connecticut, where in 1975 a cluster
of children and adults there experienced uncommon arthritic symptoms
Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, Lyme disease is
spread through the bite of infected deer ticks. Symptoms include
a rash, fatigue, headache, fever, and achy muscles and joints.
Later symptoms may include arthritis, neurological problems, and
heart problems.
House Bill 6200, which gained
broad bipartisan support in the Legislature, was prompted by an
ongoing debate in the medical community. Some health organizations
have questioned the existence of chronic Lyme disease and the
Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) has cautioned against
the long-term use of antibiotics. Some physicians were hesitant
to treat patients outside the IDSA guidelines because of potential
reprimands from medical boards and insurance companies.
Doctors will have the right to
use treatment guidelines based on their clinical experience and
best medical judgment, Governor Rell said. This bill does not,
however, shield any physician who provides substandard care.
