Article from Metrowest Daily News, excerpt :
" The state needs a commission to study Lyme disease because the illness is poorly understood and care for patients is inconsistent, a new report says.
"The medical community, ranging from physicians to medical research institutes, have varied perceptions of Lyme disease and appropriate treatment methods," said the report released yesterday by the House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight led by state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick.
The report said that since insurance companies rely on the Infectious Diseases Society of America's guidelines for Lyme treatment of 28 days, people suffering chronic symptoms might not receive coverage for care and medication.
"Insurance companies in Massachusetts have typically followed IDSA guidelines rather than (International Lyme And Associated Diseases Society's) and therefore patients being prescribed treatment for longer than 28 days often have their treatment denied by the insurance companies," the report states.
Suffolk and Middlesex counties saw the most reported cases of Lyme disease in 2009, with a combined count of 702 out of the statewide 4,045 cases, the report says."
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