Massachusetts lawmakers have advanced a proposal that would require insurance companies to provide coverage for doctor-prescribed Lyme disease treatments.
The measure was tacked on to the nearly $40 billion state budget that was approved last Wednesday by the House of Representatives. It now goes to the Senate.
Rep. David Linsky, a Natick Democrat who filed the amendment, calls the tick-borne illness an epidemic that is spreading across the state at an alarming rate.
Linsky says some Massachusetts residents have run up more than $50,000 in out-of-pocket costs for Lyme disease treatment.
The measure would require insurers to provide coverage but doesn't specify the type of treatment.
Linsky says a study done by the Center for Health Insurance Analysis found the requirement would add no more than 13 cents per policy.
