HB295 Passed With Little or No Opposition
New Hampshire: HB295 Passed by full Senate With Little or No Opposition
“House Bill 295 seeks to protect physicians’ rights to determine the most appropriate treatment protocol for their patients. New Hampshire residents need HB 295 to safeguard their choice in treatment of Lyme disease. NH doctors are under pressure from the medical community and insurance companies to treat with very limited antibiotic regimen, according to the Infectious Disease Society of America which denies the existence of chronic Lyme disease.”
On Wednesday, May 4, 2011, the full Senate passed HB295 on a voice vote with little to no opposition recognized. The Senate passed HB295 as amended by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, with the definition of “Lyme disease” changed back to its original definition in HB295, as Lyme supporters requested at the Senate public hearing. There was also an amendment added to reference that the “Lyme disease” definition came from the Lyme Disease bill that Connecticut passed in 2009. This bill as amended gives doctors the protection sought by the original bill. HB295 directs the Board of Medicine to post the following statement on the Board of Medicine Web site:
“No licensee may be subject to disciplinary action solely for prescribing, administering, or dispensing long-term antibiotic therapy for a patient clinically diagnosed with Lyme disease, if diagnosis and treatment has been documented and monitored in the physician’s medical record for that patient.”
The next step is that the bill goes back before the full House, where HB295 sponsor Gary Daniels will urge the House to concur (agree) with the bill as it was amended by the Senate. The date of the vote is expected to be May 18, but its not too early to start contacting your Representatives to urge them to concur with HB295 as amended by the Senate.
*** URGENT ACTION ITEM: ***
CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES AND ASK THEM TO CONCUR WITH HB295 AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
Call Your Representatives
Feel free to use the enclosed scripts (see contact information and samples at bottom of update) to contact YOUR OWN Representative(s) to request that they concur with House Bill 295, the Lyme Disease bill, as amended by the Senate. It is best to speak to your Representative by phone if possible, as they receive many emails each day. If you call them, BE SURE TO SAY THAT YOU ARE A CONSTITUENT (from their district), as they are more likely to respond to constituent calls. Please only address issues pertinent to the bill and DO NOT bring up insurance issues, as this could complicate the message. Swift and strong action is necessary BEFORE MAY 18. We would like to overwhelm the Representatives with polite but firm requests for passage as amended. We need to make our voices heard NOW. Our legislators need to recognize that there is more than one standard of care for Lyme disease and New Hampshire residents deserve to have all options made available to them.
It’s best to call the Representatives at home (see contact information below). If you would like to follow up your phone call with an email, it is also imperative to note that you are from that Representative’s district. Please be respectful about the hour of day you call and the amount of time you take.
THANK YOU!
To all in the Lyme Community: We thank you for your swift action and strong support. Your letters, calls and attendance at public hearings have made a tremendous impact. While this has been a long fight, there are only two steps left, (1) concurrence by the House with HB295 as amended by the Senate, and then (2) the Governor’s signature. We have come a long way! Today’s Senate passage was a major step forward. Let’s keep up the momentum until the Governor signs HB295. Please pass this message along.
New Hampshire Lyme Legislation Committee:
Rep. Gary Daniels (HB295 sponsor); Nancy Bourassa; Julie Hall; David Hunter; Cathy Kettmann; Greg Kettmann
Who is Your Representative?
To find your Representative:
http://www.facebook.com/l/c9bcda1ModtHUq4V6ckpMwNL22g/www.gencourt.state.nh.us/whosmyleg/
To get contact information for your Representative:
http://www.facebook.com/l/c9bcdJvA3cCR_MwQKwChZVy1z2g/www.gencourt.state.nh.us/house/members/memberlookup.aspx
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SAMPLE PHONE SCRIPT:
“Hello, may I please speak to Rep. ________ . I am calling to ask you to concur with House Bill 295, the Lyme Disease bill, as amended by the Senate. The Senate amendment fixed a problem in the version of the bill passed by the House, effectively giving doctors the freedom to use all of their skills and training to assist Lyme patients without fear of retribution. This legislation passed the House on a voice vote. Please support the bill again and vote to Concur with the bill as amended by the Senate. Thank you for your time.
YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR PHONE CALL WITH AN EMAIL
SAMPLE LETTER:
Copy and paste the letter below OR draft your own letter and use it. The important thing is to ask for support for the bill.
Your name _________
Address ___________
Date ______________
Dear Representative ___________,
I am writing to ask you to concur with House Bill 295, the Lyme Disease bill, as amended by the Senate. The Senate amendment fixed a problem in the version of the bill passed by the House, effectively giving doctors the freedom to use all of their skills and training to assist Lyme patients without fear of retribution. This legislation passed the House on a voice vote. Please support the bill again and vote to Concur with the bill as amended by the Senate. Thank you in advance for giving serious and thoughtful consideration to passage of this bill.
___________________________ (your name)