*Originally published 3/3/18*
This past Wednesday, I had the honor of testifying in front of the Maryland House of Delegates, and the State Senate, in support of a new Lyme disease bill. There were about 20 of us up there testifying this time, including Olivia who is a young girl from Colorado who came to help us. She has her own non-profit and has created an app that will keep you updated on ticks in your area! We are so grateful to her, and her mother, for coming all the way out here to help us Marylanders out! This bill will make it so that insurance companies will have to cover whatever treatment the Lyme doctors deem necessary, because up until now, that has not been the case.
Here is my testimony:
My name is Cassidy Colbert. I am 20 years old. I was scheduled to attend college this year however, that has had to be postponed due to financial and health considerations.
I support the passage of Senate Bill 793.
I have been suffering with Chronic Lyme Disease and several other Tick-borne illnesses since 2012. In October 2015, I was having extreme fatigue, lack of concentration, memory issues, tremors, weakness and even paralysis in my extremities. My doctor diagnosed me with Encephalopathy, resulting from my disease. She prescribed me oral antibiotics, but they caused me stomach pain and cramping, and I was unable to continue taking them. My doctor then developed a new treatment plan for me to have a PICC (Peripherally inserted central catheter) inserted and the first dose of IV antibiotics to be given at the hospital. I would then give myself antibiotics and hydration intravenously daily, and have visits from a nurse once a week to change my dressing and take blood. The medicine and services were all provided for by Home Solutions.
On December 18, 2015, our insurance pre-certified and paid for the insertion of the PICC line and the treatment given at the hospital. Obviously, we were under the impression that this meant that the entire treatment would be covered by our insurance.
After the insertion of the PICC, our insurance denied payment for any services related to and medicines given through the PICC that they approved. Their reasoning is that it was “not medically necessary.” My question is, why did they approve the PICC line insertion if they didn’t feel it was a necessary option for treatment?
Because of the insurance company’s denial to cover the medication, we currently have a bill for $63,385.04 from Home Solutions. Home Solutions appealed several times to my insurance company, as did I, but we were informed that we had exhausted all appeal options. We have also appealed to the Maryland Insurance Administration, but they said they are unable to assist us because our plan is an employer-sponsored ERISA plan. They suggested we appeal to our Plan’s Fiduciary (which we had already done) or file a lawsuit in federal court. Due to the high cost of all of my treatment, we do not have the funds to pursue a lawsuit, so we have exhausted all of our options.
My parents’ credit, and now mine, since I am an adult, have been ruined. I am unable to go to school fulltime because we cannot afford to pay for a full class load, as well as my medical bills. I not only have to endure the daily physical burden of having this disease, but also the financial burden that comes along with it. I will begin my adult life in debt and with no credit simply because I have to pay for the treatment that quite literally saved my life.
Thank you.
We will not find out for a few weeks whether the bill has been passed, so please keep your fingers crossed it comes out in our favor. My story is not unique. There are thousands of other Lymies just like me that have lost so much, and owe so much more, just because they are trying to get healthy. Whether or not his bill passes, our fight will not be over. I will not stop fighting until there is a cure- a cure that is affordable for all.
Olivia's Organization: http://livlymefoundation.org/
For more on the bill keep up here: https://natcaplyme.org/
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