HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 469        FILED ON: 1/13/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 901

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

David Paul Linsky

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to Lyme disease treatment coverage.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

1/13/2015

Todd M. Smola

1st Hampden

9/5/2019

Joseph D. McKenna

18th Worcester

9/5/2019

William Smitty Pignatelli

4th Berkshire

9/5/2019

John V. Fernandes

10th Worcester

9/5/2019

Peter V. Kocot

1st Hampshire

9/5/2019

Gailanne M. Cariddi

1st Berkshire

9/5/2019

Daniel J. Ryan

2nd Suffolk

9/5/2019

Peter J. Durant

6th Worcester

9/5/2019

James M. Cantwell

4th Plymouth

1/20/2015

Kimberly N. Ferguson

1st Worcester

1/22/2015

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Geoff Diehl

7th Plymouth

9/5/2019

Carolyn C. Dykema

8th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Thomas J. Calter

12th Plymouth

9/5/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Colleen M. Garry

36th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Kate Hogan

3rd Middlesex

9/5/2019

Brian M. Ashe

2nd Hampden

9/5/2019

Susannah M. Whipps Lee

2nd Franklin

9/5/2019

Bradford R. Hill

4th Essex

9/5/2019

Jennifer E. Benson

37th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

1/20/2015

Josh S. Cutler

6th Plymouth

9/5/2019

Dennis A. Rosa

4th Worcester

9/5/2019

Claire D. Cronin

11th Plymouth

9/5/2019

Ann-Margaret Ferrante

5th Essex

9/5/2019

James J. Dwyer

30th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

9/5/2019

John W. Scibak

2nd Hampshire

9/5/2019

James M. Murphy

4th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

9/5/2019

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

9/5/2019

Jason M. Lewis

Fifth Middlesex

9/5/2019

Jerald A. Parisella

6th Essex

1/30/2015

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Frank A. Moran

17th Essex

9/5/2019

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

9/5/2019

Tackey Chan

2nd Norfolk

9/5/2019

David K. Muradian, Jr.

9th Worcester

9/5/2019

William C. Galvin

6th Norfolk

1/23/2015

James R. Miceli

19th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Jonathan D. Zlotnik

2nd Worcester

9/5/2019

Steven S. Howitt

4th Bristol

1/26/2015

Kenneth I. Gordon

21st Middlesex

9/5/2019

Tricia Farley-Bouvier

3rd Berkshire

9/5/2019

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

1/22/2015

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Brian A. Joyce

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth

9/5/2019

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

9/5/2019

Paul Tucker

7th Essex

9/5/2019

Michael F. Rush

Norfolk and Suffolk

9/5/2019

Mathew Muratore

1st Plymouth

9/5/2019

Joan B.  Lovely

Second Essex

9/5/2019

Richard J. Ross

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex

9/5/2019

Shawn Dooley

9th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Ellen Story

3rd Hampshire

9/5/2019

Timothy R. Madden

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

9/5/2019

Keiko M. Orrall

12th Bristol

9/5/2019

Walter F. Timilty

7th Norfolk

1/23/2015

James J. Lyons, Jr.

18th Essex

9/5/2019

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

9/5/2019

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

9/5/2019

Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.

28th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Carmine L. Gentile

13th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

9/5/2019

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

9/5/2019

Ruth B. Balser

12th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Jeffrey N. Roy

10th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Karen E. Spilka

Second Middlesex and Norfolk

9/5/2019

John C. Velis

4th Hampden

9/5/2019

F. Jay Barrows

1st Bristol

9/5/2019

David M. Nangle

17th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Sheila C. Harrington

1st Middlesex

9/5/2019

Thomas A. Golden, Jr.

16th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Daniel A. Wolf

Cape and Islands

9/5/2019

Barbara A. L'Italien

Second Essex and Middlesex

9/5/2019

John J. Lawn, Jr.

10th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Danielle W. Gregoire

4th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Edward F. Coppinger

10th Suffolk

9/5/2019

Tom Sannicandro

7th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Robert L. Hedlund

Plymouth and Norfolk

9/5/2019

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

9/5/2019

Donald H. Wong

9th Essex

9/5/2019

Stephen L. DiNatale

3rd Worcester

9/5/2019

Viriato M. deMacedo

Plymouth and Barnstable

9/5/2019

Thomas M. Petrolati

7th Hampden

9/5/2019

Anne M. Gobi

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex

9/5/2019

Harold P. Naughton, Jr.

12th Worcester

9/5/2019

Marc T. Lombardo

22nd Middlesex

9/5/2019

Leonard Mirra

2nd Essex

9/5/2019

Angelo L. D'Emilia

8th Plymouth

9/5/2019

Daniel M. Donahue

16th Worcester

9/5/2019

Paul A. Schmid, III

8th Bristol

9/5/2019

Randy Hunt

5th Barnstable

9/5/2019

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

9/5/2019

Shaunna L. O'Connell

3rd Bristol

9/5/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.

5th Worcester

9/5/2019

Leah Cole

12th Essex

9/5/2019

Susan Williams Gifford

2nd Plymouth

9/5/2019

Brian R. Mannal

2nd Barnstable

9/5/2019

Elizabeth A. Poirier

14th Bristol

9/5/2019

Kevin J. Kuros

8th Worcester

9/5/2019

Paul K. Frost

7th Worcester

9/5/2019

Patricia A. Haddad

5th Bristol

9/5/2019

David T. Vieira

3rd Barnstable

9/5/2019

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

9/5/2019

John J. Mahoney

13th Worcester

9/5/2019

Michael S. Day

31st Middlesex

9/5/2019

Kathleen O'Connor Ives

First Essex

9/5/2019

Jay R. Kaufman

15th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Kate D. Campanale

17th Worcester

9/5/2019

Paul R. Heroux

2nd Bristol

9/5/2019

Linda Dean Campbell

15th Essex

9/5/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

9/5/2019

Alice Hanlon Peisch

14th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Carole A. Fiola

6th Bristol

9/5/2019

Frank I. Smizik

15th Norfolk

9/5/2019

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

9/5/2019

Nick Collins

4th Suffolk

9/5/2019

James M. Kelcourse

1st Essex

9/5/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 469        FILED ON: 1/13/2015

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 901

By Mr. Linsky of Natick, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 901) of David Paul Linsky and others relative to Lyme disease treatment health insurance coverage.  Financial Services.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act relative to Lyme disease treatment coverage.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 175 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after

section 47DD, the following section:

Section 47EE.

(A) For the purposes of this Section, the terms “Lyme disease” and “long-term antibiotic

therapy” are given the same definition as provided in M.G.L. Chapter 112, Section 12DD.

(B) Any policy, contract, agreement, plan or certificate of insurance issued, delivered or renewed within the commonwealth that provides medical expense coverage shall provide coverage for long-term antibiotic therapy of Lyme disease when determined to be medically necessary and ordered by a licensed physician after making a thorough evaluation of the patient’s symptoms, diagnostic test results, or response to treatment. Long-term antibiotic therapy otherwise eligible for benefits pursuant to this section shall not be denied solely because such treatment may be characterized as unproven, experimental, or investigational in nature.

SECTION 2. Chapter 176A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after

section 8FF the following section:-

Section 8GG. Any contract between a subscriber and the corporation under an individual or group hospital service plan which is delivered, issued or renewed within the commonwealth shall provide coverage for long-term antibiotic therapy of Lyme disease when determined to be medically necessary and ordered by a licensed physician after making a thorough evaluation of the patient’s symptoms, diagnostic test results or response to treatment.

Treatment otherwise eligible for benefits pursuant to this section shall not be denied solely because such treatment may be characterized as unproven, experimental, or investigational in nature.

SECTION 4. Chapter 176B of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 4FF, the following section:-

Section 4GG. Any subscription certificate under an individual or group medical service agreement delivered, issued, or renewed within the commonwealth shall provide coverage for

long-term antibiotic therapy of Lyme disease when determined to be medically necessary and ordered by a licensed physician after making a thorough evaluation of the patient’s symptoms, diagnostic test results or response to treatment. Treatment otherwise eligible for benefits pursuant to this section shall not be denied solely because such treatment may be characterized as unproven, experimental, or investigational in nature.

SECTION 5. Chapter 176G of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after

section 4X the following section:-

Section 4Y. Any individual or group health maintenance contract shall provide coverage

for long-term antibiotic therapy of Lyme disease when determined to be medically necessary and ordered by a licensed physician after making a thorough evaluation of the patient’s symptoms, diagnostic test results or response to treatment. Treatment otherwise eligible for benefits pursuant to this section shall not be denied solely because such treatment may be characterized as unproven, experimental, or investigational in nature.