Topic: ALL RESIDENTS FROM ANY STATE NEED TO CONTACT THE NY GOVERNOR RE: THE LYME BILL
Abxnomore
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18936
posted
It's important to know that ANYONE from any state can sign the link below to contact the New York State Governor, not just New York State residents. There is a drop down for every state and we need everyones' help ASAP!
Be sure to put Bill Number S7854-A7558B in the subject line and Healthcare in the topic line. Please urge the Governor to sign this bill into law.
ALL OF OUR MEMBERS must participate in this effort, no one can afford to sit back and do nothing. As each state receives protections by law, there will be more momentum for other states to follow suit.
Right now the bill has passed but is sitting on the Governor's desk for him to sign into law. There are no guarantees that he will do so, unless we make our voices heard. We have been here before when Governor Pataki DID NOT sign a similar Bill into law.
We MUST make this happen. It will take you all of four minutes to click on the link and fill it out.
Everyone, please take a minute of your time to help out. This is so important to the entire Lyme Community.
Posts: 5191 | From Lyme Zone | Registered: Jan 2009
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Catgirl
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 31149
posted
Done!
Abxnomore, thank you for all your posts alerting us. If you didn't do this, I wouldn't have known that people from out of NY state could help! This is SO IMPORTANT!
Everyone: remember to visit Activism!
-------------------- --Keep an open mind about everything. Also, remember to visit ACTIVISM (we can change things together). Posts: 5418 | From earth | Registered: Mar 2011
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Catgirl
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 31149
posted
Tincup did a wonderful job (in Activism) posting an easy letter for people to use (below). I'm so glad I visited there today! :)
I suggest people edit, copy (highlight it, then press Ctrl C) and paste (Ctrl V) this into Abxnomore's link above to get the bill passed. Remember to copy and paste the Bill number like Abxnomore suggested.
This stuff is crucial for all lyme patients everywhere. Everything we do helps, and the power of the pen will get it done!
. . . . . Re: S7854-A7558B
My family had to go to NY to find a doctor who knew how to diagnose and treat Lyme disease because in ______ (your state) there weren't any.
Patients world wide still depend on the NY doctors to educate others, properly treat people and bring desperately sick patients to a point of wellness.
Three decades of using the same unproven treatment protocols that didn't work then and don't work now is senseless. We deserve better.
The current treatment guidelines preferred by insurers due to the cost savings are not based on solid science, and they were designed by those shown to have major conflicts of interest. The guidelines restrict more than they allow with no basis provided for the restrictions.
Patients with Lyme should have the same rights as any other person and be able, with their doctors, to chose the best and up-to-date protocols available.
Thirty years of suppression is enough! People want and deserve choices. They want/need to get well.
This bill helps everyone and hurts no one.
-------------------- --Keep an open mind about everything. Also, remember to visit ACTIVISM (we can change things together). Posts: 5418 | From earth | Registered: Mar 2011
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Abxnomore
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18936
posted
EXCELLENT, now let's all get moving New York residents or otherwise. Urge the Governor to sign this bill into law by clicking on the link. The Bill has been passed, the Governor must decide whether or not to sign it and may it the law and it's up to us to let him know how important it is to us all.
We cannot let this die, we must be heard--every last one of us and from every state in the Union.
Abxnomore
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18936
posted
UP!
Posts: 5191 | From Lyme Zone | Registered: Jan 2009
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
^
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Abxnomore
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18936
posted
I hope others are clicking on that link and asking the governor to sign this bill into law. There's a drop down that lists every state, so anyone can contact him and urge him to sign the bill into law.
Remember to put Bill Number S7854-A7558B in the subject line.
posted
Hi all - we are going to keep the sections more organized - Medical info/questions in Medical, Support in Support, Activism in Activism, and no, I haven't checked Off-Topic lately!
If the activism issue is an urgent alert, then threads can be posted in Medical to go see the post in either Activism or General Support, since actions are supportive of Lyme patients/doctors, etc and also fit the General Support heading.
Threads can also be posted in General Support to see info in Activism, if you'd like.
And TC did well, to mention that she posted the rest of the letter info she was referring to in Activism. It's good to go to Activism! It should not be considered off-topic to the board, because it's where some of the most important work is being done these days.
Posts: 13116 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
Could someone either provide a link or post in a sentence or two what this bill does? That would help so I could write why I support the bill.
Having cognitive problems.
Thanks, the bill sounds important, I just don't know what it is!
Posts: 873 | From WA | Registered: Dec 2005
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Abxnomore
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 18936
posted
It helps protects our LLMD from being persecuted and gives patients greater access to Lyme treatment among many other things, without having to adhere to the rigid guidelines. Doctors can treat as they see fit.
It is in the interest of every Lyme patient to sign on to this. It has taken close to 20 years to get to this point and it's imperative that we urge the governor to sign this bill into law.
Hopefully, if he signs this into law it will provide momentum for other states to do the same.
Posts: 5191 | From Lyme Zone | Registered: Jan 2009
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poppy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5355
posted
Did you use the governor's contact form, listed above? I didn't have any problem with it, and the messages you got don't seem to apply to this situation.
There is also a phone number and an email address for the governor that can be used.
Posts: 2888 | From USA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Special link for NY residents to ask Gov. Cuomo to sign Lyme doctor protection bill. Other contact options for those outside of New York.
Message from New York Lyme advocates:
NY state residents:
Even if you have already contacted or intend to contact Governor Cuomo via phone call or personal letter, we are requesting that all New York State residents use this link (in addition) to contact the Governor and urge him to sign S7854-A7558B.
Please add a personal note concerning how Lyme disease has affected you or your friends, family, and neighbors to the beginning of the letter. https://www.votervoice.net/NYSCOALITION/Campaigns/36501/Respond . Using the votervoice site helps the NYS Coalition for Lyme and Tick-borne Diseases to document how many requests Governor Cuomo has received from NYS residents. . People who don’t live in New York: Non-NYS residents can use the contact information below to call or write Governor Cuomo and urge him to sign S7854-A7558B. The votervoice link will not work for non-NYS residents but it does contain a sample letter that users can copy and paste as part of their individual letters. . The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo Governor of New York State NYS State Capitol Building Albany, NY 12224 (518) 474-8390 . http://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/GovernorContactForm.php . Bill S7854-A7558B - Prohibits the investigation of any claim of medical professional misconduct based solely on treatment that is not universally accepted by the medical profession: . http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S7854-2013 . In addition to this legislation, the NYS Senate’s Lyme Disease Task Force recently released its report. Read more here:
The Press Release and Report by the NYS Senate State Lyme Disease Task Force is astounding in its breath of important initiatives proposed for combating this scourge,
including adopting “a resolution calling on the Centers for Disease Control to reevaluate its guidance on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases and for the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies to provide more funding for these diseases.” I am posting links to both below.
Our work is just beginning to hold the NYS legislature to its commitment on these important initiatives, including addressing insurance denials and the need to update our physicians on important new research,
such as evidence that supports persistence of infection and polymicrobial infection as reason that many patients remain ill after short-term treatment.
One particular interest of mine is the fact that many of the innovative new tests that are available to Lyme patients in all of the other 50 states are denied to NYS residents.
As a result of this short-sighted policy, I had to go out-of-state to get many important tests that helped our physicians to properly diagnose and treat the multiple tick-borne illnesses affecting my family members.
The Task Force Report recommends that “the Department of Health re-evaluate the tests and facilities it authorizes for Lyme and other Tick-Borne diseases in order to help facilitate earlier diagnoses, and better outcomes, across the State.”
New Task Force Report & Recommendations to Address Lyme and Tick-Borne Diseases Posted by Majority Press on Wednesday, June 18th, 2014
posted
It worked for me and I received an e-mail saying his office had received my e-mail. I tried to keep it as brief as possible. This is what I sent (with the # of the bill):
My family had to travel from South Carolina to NY because we had no one here who understood and knew how to diagnose and treat Lyme and other Tick-Borne Diseases.
While NY is making it possible for people to regain their health, you're also receiving huge amounts of income when these patients can't get proper treatment at home.
I'm alive today because my wonderful Lyme Dr. in NYC has prescribed treatment appropriate for my combination of Lyme and TBDs even though it did not fit the unproven general protocol that doesn't work for late stage cases.
By signing this Bill, you'll be helping the Lyme patients in NY but also many patients outside your state.
We're depending on you!! Please don't let us down. Thanking you in advance for helping this vast number of sick people.
Most sincerely,
Posts: 4638 | From South Carolina | Registered: Mar 2001
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As Governor Andrew Cuomo works his way through a stack of bills approved at the end of the legislative session, people in the Lyme awareness community are hoping he'll ink a bill that will expand treatment options for people with this disease. The co-director of the Lyme Action Network says, the bill will help the many people who suffer from chronic illness after being bitten by infected ticks. . .
posted
Please show interest in the incredibly important initiatives, endorsed the NYS Senate Lyme Disease Task Force by liking and commenting on this article:
Senate report outlines plan to combat Lyme disease
A Senate Republican task force has released a report on Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in New York state and made reccommendations to combat the problem.
The 14-page report outlines a state action plan to create "improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment protocols in order to better protect New York residents."
The task force is comprised of Co-Chairs Kemp Hannon, R-Garden City; Kenneth LaValle, R-Port Jefferson; Elizabeth Little, R-Queensbury; and David Carlucci, D-Clarkstown. Also serving on the panel are Senators Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo; Kathleen Marchione, R-Halfmoon; Greg Ball, R-Patterson; and Bill Larkin, R-New Windsor.
Hannon said creating an action plan to take on Lyme and other tick-borne diseases is "essential" for New York. . .
This past Tuesday, some members of the NYS Coalition, a Lyme medical expert and a lobbyist who has been helping us with the NYS bill had a phone conference with the Assistant General Counsel to Governor Cuomo who handles health bills. She is the person who collects all the information that will go into making a recommendation about whether the Governor should sign the bill.
Two things seemed to come out of this meeting. One is that it does not look as if this bill will be ready for the Governor right now. The Assistant Counsel is new to Lyme and recognizes that she will need to read more information and to talk with the NYS Coalition more before making a recommendation to the Governor. A second phone call is scheduled for next week.
This is good in that it will give us more time to generate more grassroots contact with the Gov asking that he sign the bill - without the anxiety that the Governor can make his decision at any moment.
The second thing to come out of the meeting is that this will not be a slam dunk for us. The NYS DOH is questioning the bill.
Remember that we have two heavy hitters in NYS as far as IDSA followers go: we have NY Medical College and Stonybrook, so we can assume a great deal of pressure on the DOH to discredit us.
As of Thursday there have been 2,300 letters sent to the Governor on the Votervoice program. Please continue to get as many letters written to the Governor through this program as possible. Encourage people to let Governor Cuomo hear the cost of this illness in human suffering . We need to make sure he knows what is at stake if we lose the doctors who have most helped people with Lyme disease.
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
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