More work is being done by a local state lawmaker in an effort to battle Lyme Disease in Illinois.
State Representative Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) says that legislation he spearheaded last year is already having a positive effect on people.
The Lauryn Russell Lyme Disease Prevention and Protection Law allows physicians to prescribe more aggressive treatment of Lyme Disease without fear of disciplinary action from the State’s Physician licensing bureau.
Swanson says the next step is to get insurance companies to cover more treatments of Lyme.
“We’re going to move forward and try and get some insurance coverage for all of our people who suffer from Lyme Disease,” Swanson said. “It’s a big issue with our families. It seems some insurance companies don’t cover Lyme treatment, and we want to try and help out the many that have reached out to me and contacted me.”
Swanson adds that Lyme cases are on the rise, making this an issue that affects all of Illinois, not just the western side.
“As we look at Lyme, it’s not just a Western Illinois [issue]. It’s southern Illinois to northern Illinois and everything in between. Recent CDC reports are finding a great deal more of Lyme this past year up in the northeastern part of our state, up around the Chicago area. So, we’re seeing a lot of growth there, and a lot of growth in southern Illinois.”
He says that education and awareness are key to identifying the disease and treating it.
The law passed unanimously in both chambers to override an Amendatory Veto by then-Governor Bruce Rauner, which gutted key elements of the legislation.
The legislation was named after a Mercer County Junior High School student.
