Northeast Insurance Departments Highlight Lyme Awareness Month

Regional Insurance Commissioners developing new model law to prevent and treat Lyme

The Northeast Zone of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners is promoting National Lyme Disease Awareness Month this May, announcing that the regional group aims to work toward development of a model law aimed at preventing and treating Lyme disease. The CDC estimates approximately 476,000 people are diagnosed or treated for Lyme each year, making it the most common vector-borne illness in the United States - even when considering significant underreporting. The disease is largely concentrated in northern states, and Delaware is in the top 5 states for its incident rate.

"Like most people in the northeast, Lyme has directly impacted my life and those I love. It is a mysterious but pervasive disease, and we must act together to address it," shared Northeast Zone Chair Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro. "The physical, financial, and family toll of Lyme is massive. But when Lyme is detected accurately and treated expediently, most patients can avoid long-term impacts on their health. Both residents and insurers win when we can prevent Lyme."

Commissioner Navarro will join the Lyme Aware Delaware Conference on May 17 in Lewes, open to healthcare providers online and in-person from 8:30AM to 4:45PM. Professionals will learn about Delaware Lyme Law, the Delaware Tick Program, multiplex assays for surveillance of tickborne pathogens, antibiotic efficacy, Lyme research and testing, neuropsychiatric Lyme, Babesia and translational medicine, and more. 6 CMEs/CEUs are available, details and registration at lymediseaseeducation.org.

To stay a step ahead of Lyme, wear light-colored long-sleeved shirts, long pants, tall socks, and closed-toe shoes in any areas where ticks may be present. Stay on trails and away from tall grass whenever possible. Wear a DEET-based insect repellant, shower soon after being outdoors, and check for ticks daily. Remove ticks as quickly as possible using tweezers by grasping the tick by the hard area closest to the attachment site and pulling upward without twisting or squeezing. After removing a tick, monitor the bite closely and seek medical care any swelling, rash, burning sensation, muscle aches and pains, fever, or difficulty breathing. Symptoms of tick-borne illness generally develop within two weeks but can occur up to 30 days or more after attachment. You can consider sending the tick to be tested, following the laboratory's guidelines. You can save the removed tick securely by placing it in a closable plastic sandwich bag with a small piece of wet paper towel and placing that into a second bag labeled with the date and location of the bite. To store a tick for a longer period of time, do so in the refrigerator or freezer.

The Northeast Zone of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners agreed this spring to work toward the development of model legislation that will prompt insurance coverage of testing, early treatment, and forthcoming vaccinations to improve consumer access to affordable measures that prevent and treat Lyme.

Lyme disease is most commonly transmitted through tick bites and can be present even when a red bull's eye rash does not appear. Methods of FDA-approved serologic testing for Lyme disease often have a low level of accuracy, similar to blood marker testing for other conditions that insurers more frequently cover. However, tick-based testing is more accurate, which may be helpful for patients seeking treatment.

The CDC recommends providers consider prescribing early treatment post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP-doxycycline) for persons with factors including residency in areas where Lyme is common, when the tick removal occurred within the last 72 hours, when the tick removed was engorged and of a type that can transmit the bacteria, and of course in consideration of whether the medication is safe for the individual patient.

With multiple Lyme vaccinations in progress, including one in final-phase human trials that could be on the market as early as 2026, enactment of coverage laws can improve awareness of the coming vaccine, provide residents coverage the moment it is available, and ensure the vaccines can have the take-up necessary to remain on the market. Pre-exposure prophylaxis medication is also in a trial phase.

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