Boston 25 News: Some Lyme Disease patients having trouble getting treatment covered

It's a treatment for Lyme disease that was not covered by health insurance, then a Massachusetts law was supposed to change that.

Patients and doctors tell 25 Investigates that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is sometimes denying a specific treatment for Lyme disease: long-term antibiotic therapy.

The insurance company says they're just following the rules, but the people who wrote the law say they're not.

We spoke with a Massachusetts woman who doesn't want to share her identity because she's currently going through treatment for Lyme disease and doesn't want to jeopardize her coverage.

She says when she was prescribed oral antibiotics, they didn't work. Then she went to a Lyme doctor who prescribed her intravenous antibiotics that would last months.  She says her insurance company, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, spent months denying her prescription.

"Doctors should be able to diagnose you, not insurance companies," she said.

See the full article by Ted Daniel and video on Boston 25 News' website here.

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October 21, 2024

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