A 1718: Establishes the "tick borne illness treatment and education act"; requires health insurers to provide coverage for long term medical care for Lyme disease and other tick borne related pathogens.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1718 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. WEPRIN, BUTTENSCHON, LUPARDO, ANGELINO, McDONOUGH -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage of long term medical care for Lyme disease and other tick borne related pathogens The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "tick borne 2 illness treatment and education act of 2025". 3 § 2. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by 4 adding a new paragraph 40 to read as follows: 5 (40) Every insurer issuing a policy of accident and health insurance 6 for delivery in this state shall provide coverage for all costs for 7 treatment of Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) and other tick borne 8 related pathogens. Such treatment may include intravenous antibiotic 9 therapy, oral antibiotic therapy, or any other treatment, or any combi- 10 nation of treatments, provided such treatment is recommended by a physi- 11 cian licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York. 12 § 3. Subsection (k) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by 13 adding a new paragraph 24 to read as follows: 14 (24) Every group or blanket policy delivered or issued for delivery in 15 this state which provides hospital, surgical or medical coverage shall 16 provide coverage for all costs for treatment of Lyme disease (Lyme 17 borreliosis) and other tick borne related pathogens. Such treatment may 18 include intravenous antibiotic therapy, oral antibiotic therapy, or any 19 other treatment, or any combination of treatments, provided such treat- 20 ment is recommended by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the 21 state of New York. 22 § 4. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new 23 subsection (ww) to read as follows: 24 (ww) Every medical expense indemnity corporation, hospital service 25 corporation and health service corporation which provides coverage for EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03697-01-5 
 A. 1718 2 1 medical, surgical or major medical care shall provide coverage for all 2 costs for treatment of Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) and other tick 3 borne related pathogens. Such treatment may include intravenous antibi- 4 otic therapy, oral antibiotic therapy, or any other treatment, or any 5 combination of treatments, provided such treatment is recommended by a 6 physician licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York. 7 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 8 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 9 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 10 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 11 completed on or before such effective date.