posted
Subject: WE NEED YOUR HELP - Support Lyme Disease Legislation in Mass.
Hello All in MA or outside of MA,
As you may be aware, the State of Massachusetts currently has three bills on the docket associated with the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme Disease. One of those bills, House Bill 1148, would protect doctors who are willing to treat Lyme Disease with long term antibiotics. You may wonder why we are seeking a law to protect doctors. The fact is, insurance companies don't want to pay for treatment. As a result, they are pressuring doctors to NOT treat aggressively. In fact, they threaten doctors who treat aggressively by filing complaints with the medical licensing board alleging over treatment. They have even managed to have some doctors' licenses revoked, despite the fact that their treatments were successful!
So...in a nutshell, we NEED this legislation in order to protect your rights and mine to CHOOSE long term antibiotic treatment if we want it. Don't let the insurance companies be in charge! Help now by calling or writing to any member of the Joint Committee on Public Health, asking them to support the bill and move it from Committee to the House floor for vote. Many Massachusetts legislators are FOR THIS BILL, but they can't vote on it while it's stuck in Committee - which is exactly what's happening. There is ONE MEMBER of the Committee who doesn't support it and this person is managing to gum up the works. We need to put the pressure on the entire Committee to move this bill forward. This bill is the ONLY way we can get the help we need and many State Legislators stand behind 1148 because of how many sick are in their districts.
Lyme patients need your help. Call or write NOW to email below! JEFFREY SANCHEZ is Chair of the committee and the person responsible for the stall. Below is his email. Thanks in advance for your support!
Rep.Sanchez(House Chair of MA Joint Committee on Public Health) has been opposed to this bill from the start. Unfortunately, the bill has been combined with H3592, and in the process has virtually disappeared, although we are keeping watch on it. H3592 Bill calls for the creation of a Lyme Commission or Center...has no funding...introdused by Rep.Jennifer Callahan.
-------------------- nan Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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posted
I disagree this bill 1148 has not disappeared. Rep. Hargraves is on it and as always helping the lyme community in so many ways. Letters and phone calls to Sanchez's office WILL help.
Posts: 142 | From Sturbridge, MA | Registered: Jul 2006
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Do a Bill search and this is what you will find: 2/5/2010 B Referred to the Special House Committee on Rules
2/8/2010 H Reported from the committee on Joint Committee on Public Health
2/8/2010 H New draft of H1148 and H3592
This new draft contains none of the original language from H1148. Chairman Sanchez is dead set against this bill and has successfully buried it. None of the Reps from our area has been able to get support from Sanchez.
Please check your facts. There are those of us who fear that MA patients may end up worse off than ever before,
If you find out some good news and can correct me...PLEASE do!
PM me if you want to see the new wording.
Nan
-------------------- nan Posts: 2135 | From Tick Country | Registered: Oct 2000
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I had my reservations about Sanchez walking out of the hearing last year. Seemed REALLY impressed by the IDSA Mds for some reason. I was nearly in his line of vision and was watching as much as I could the whole time. Something just wasn't right with him. He is NOT representing his constituents.
He didn't seem to "get" that this bill was not about legislating treatment but protecting doctors ability to use their clinical judgment.
It's completely insane in an endemic area but insane - period.
Posts: 571 | From Massachusetts | Registered: Oct 2008
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