S 4816: Includes Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases as occupational diseases for purposes of workers' compensation; clarifies that disability includes disability caused by Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases; requires insurance coverage of long term medical care for Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 4816 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 13, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. C. RYAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Labor AN ACT to amend the workers' compensation law, in relation to including Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases as occupational diseases for purposes of workers' compensation; and to amend the insurance law, in relation to coverage of long term medical care for Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph 30 of subdivision 2 of section 3 of the workers' 2 compensation law, as renumbered by chapter 665 of the laws of 1971, is 3 renumbered paragraph 31 and a new paragraph 30 is added to read as 4 follows: 5 30. Lyme disease and other 30. Any process involving 6 tick-borne diseases. outdoor activity or 7 treatment of animals. 8 § 2. The closing paragraph of subdivision 2 of section 3 of the work- 9 ers' compensation law, as amended by chapter 666 of the laws of 1971, is 10 amended to read as follows: 11 Nothing in paragraph [thirty] thirty-one of this subdivision shall be 12 construed to apply to any disability or death due to any disease 13 described in paragraph twenty-nine of this subdivision. 14 § 3. Subdivision 9 of section 201 of the workers' compensation law is 15 amended by adding a new paragraph C to read as follows: 16 C. "Disability" also includes disability caused by or in connection 17 with Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases. 18 § 4. Subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law is amended by 19 adding a new paragraph 40 to read as follows: 20 (40) Every insurer issuing a policy of accident and health insurance 21 for delivery in this state shall provide coverage for all costs for 22 treatment of Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) and other tick-borne EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD00263-01-5 
 S. 4816 2 1 diseases. Such treatment may include intravenous antibiotic therapy, 2 oral antibiotic therapy, or any other treatment, or any combination of 3 treatments, provided such treatment is recommended by a physician 4 licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York. 5 § 5. Subsection (k) of section 3221 of the insurance law is amended by 6 adding a new paragraph 24 to read as follows: 7 (24) Every group or blanket policy delivered or issued for delivery in 8 this state which provides hospital, surgical or medical coverage shall 9 provide coverage for all costs for treatment of Lyme disease (Lyme 10 borreliosis) and other tick-borne diseases. Such treatment may include 11 intravenous antibiotic therapy, oral antibiotic therapy, or any other 12 treatment, or any combination of treatments, provided such treatment is 13 recommended by a physician licensed to practice medicine in the state of 14 New York. 15 § 6. Section 4303 of the insurance law is amended by adding a new 16 subsection (ww) to read as follows: 17 (ww) Every medical expense indemnity corporation, hospital service 18 corporation and health service corporation which provides coverage for 19 medical, surgical or major medical care shall provide coverage for all 20 costs for treatment of Lyme disease (Lyme borreliosis) and other tick- 21 borne diseases. Such treatment may include intravenous antibiotic thera- 22 py, oral antibiotic therapy, or any other treatment, or any combination 23 of treatments, provided such treatment is recommended by a physician 24 licensed to practice medicine in the state of New York. 25 § 7. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after 26 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend- 27 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen- 28 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and 29 completed on or before such effective date.