Insurance Issues
Remember
There are usually deadlines for filing complaints and
Responding to inquires so please do not delay!
First Thing To Do- Appeal the decision immediately!
Write to the insurer! A "Sample Letter" is located below. Feel free to adjust it to relate to your own circumstances.
Very Important- Contact your Attorney General as soon as possible and file a complaint. They need to know about your insurance issues to be able to help you and budget the necessary funds and resources to address the ongoing insurance problems we are having. They have been very helpful to those who have taken this step and have resolved many if not all issues for patients.
To Find Your Attorney General- click here.
Additional Steps- File a complaint with the your state's Insurance Commissioner. For their contact information, click here.
To note: A legal transcript involving a Lyme disease case in court included testimony by an insurance executive. He admitted insurers sometimes flag Lyme cases and have been known to deny patients claims initially to save money, but they usually will pay the claim if an appeal is filed.
NEVER let it drop when you are denied- that is what they expect you to do. Fight for your rights! Make it easier on yourself by getting help from the above agencies. Good luck!
Additional Information
Connecticut Attorney General's Press Release
Bartonella- Scientific Support
Proving Tests Are Unreliable- FDA Bulletin 1999
Rebuttal for Flawed IDSA/AAN Guidelines
Responses to Claims of "Faking It"
Scientific Evidence- Subjective Symptoms- Romberg Test
Scientific Evidence- Walking Difficulties, Instability
Scientific Rebuttal to Denials
Scientific Response- Vertigo & Light Sensitivity
Scientific Response- Vertigo & Light Sensitivity
Supporting A Negative CSF Test
Supporting Heavy Metal Testing
Supporting LLMD Treatment Protocols
Be sure to mention you are being treated according to the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society's (ILADS) Lyme Disease Guidelines. Authored by Dr. Daniel Cameron, et. al., they can be found here. Remind the insurer that the Infectious Diseases Society of America's (IDSA) guidelines were published in 2006 and have since been removed from the National Guidelines Clearinghouse because they had not been updated in over 5 years (the normal requirement) and they fail to meet the standards set forth by the IOM for medical guidelines. More information here.
Last Updated- March 2019
Lucy Barnes