PRINTER'S NO. 1877

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

No.

1299

Session of

2015

INTRODUCED BY GREENLEAF, SCAVELLO, ARGALL, TEPLITZ, WOZNIAK,

RAFFERTY, COSTA, TARTAGLIONE, AUMENT, BAKER, McGARRIGLE AND

BOSCOLA, JUNE 6, 2016

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Short title.

This act shall be known and may be cited as the Lyme Disease

and Related Tick-Borne Illness Diagnosis and Treatment Act.

Section 2. Findings.

The General Assembly finds as follows:

59,478 confirmed cases of Lyme disease and in 2015 reported

10,817 new cases (provisional cases to be confirmed in 2016),

ranking highest in the nation in confirmed cases for the last

illnesses and diseases can greatly reduce the risks of

continued symptoms which can affect every system and organ of

the human body and often every aspect of life.

on to suffer from a complex, chronic/persistent disease which

is much more difficult to treat.

guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and

tick-borne illness; yet, in 2016, the National Guidelines

Clearinghouse (NGC) maintains only the International Lyme and

were removed from the NGC in 2015 because they were "outdated

and not in compliance with current standards."

(CDC) study found that only 39% of individuals with Lyme

disease were treated using short-term antibiotic

recommendations from the IDSA guidelines. The majority of the

individuals were treated for longer periods, more in line

with the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society's

recommendations.

the American Medical Association, American College of

Physicians and other professional medical organizations.

Patients should be fully informed of their options, taking

into account the best scientific evidence available,

especially in emerging diseases, and the physician's clinical

judgment and, in light of the patient's values and

preferences, patients should be informed in order to make the

best decision for themselves.

Information Analysis (CHIA) found little to no increase in

Section 3. Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this act shall

have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

"Clinical diagnosis." A diagnosis of a patient based

primarily on information obtained from medical history, a

physical examination of the patient and review of medical

records, including laboratory tests and radiologic studies or

other differential diagnostic testing.

"Health care professional." A licensed physician,

complications related to such infection or with such other

strains of Borrelia, including, but not limited to, B.

miyamotoi, B. mayonii, B. garinii and B. afzelii, that are

recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as

a cause of Lyme disease. The term includes infection that meets

the surveillance criteria established by the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention and other acute and persistent

manifestations of such an infection as determined by a health

care professional.

"Related tick-borne illness." The presence of signs or

standards established by the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention for the purposes of consistency in research or for

evaluating trends in the spread of various diseases, but which

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not intend

to be used by health care professionals for individual patient

diagnoses.

Section 4. Legislative intent.

It is the intent of the General Assembly to ensure that

patients have access to available and emerging diagnostics and

treatment options for Lyme disease and related tick-borne

of the duration they determine appropriate for the patient, for

the therapeutic purpose of eliminating or controlling a

patient's infection or symptoms upon making a clinical diagnosis

that the patient has Lyme disease or a related tick-borne

illness or displays symptoms consistent with a clinical

diagnosis of Lyme disease or related tick-borne illnesses and by

documenting the diagnosis and treatment in the patient's medical

records.

Section 6. Required coverage.

(a) Duty to provide.--

Treatment plans may include short or longer durations of

antibiotic or antimicrobial treatments, as prescribed by the

patient's attending health care professional.

for benefits under this section shall not be denied coverage

solely because the treatment may be characterized as

unproven, experimental or investigational in nature for the

treatment of Lyme disease and related tick-borne illnesses.

(b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to any of the

following types of insurance:

formerly CHAMPUS, covering military personnel and dependents,

Veterans Administration and the Federal Employee's Health

Benefit Plan.

Section 7. Immunity.

symptoms when the patient is clinically diagnosed with Lyme

disease or related tick-borne illnesses, if the diagnosis,

treatment plan and ongoing monitoring has been documented in the

patient's medical record.

(b) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be

construed to deny the right of a licensing board to deny, revoke

or suspend the license of or to discipline any health care

professional who:

antibiotic therapy for a nontherapeutic purpose;

receiving longer-term treatment relating to Lyme disease or

related tick-borne illnesses.

Section 8. Effective date.

This act shall take effect immediately.