Health Insurance - Lyme Disease and Related Tick-Borne Illnesses - Long-Term Antibiotic Treatment

HB 1268 requires Maryland health insurers, nonprofit health plans, and health maintenance organizations to cover the full duration of long-term antibiotic treatment (over 4 weeks) for Lyme disease and related tick-borne illnesses (like Babesiosis or Ehrlichiosis) when ordered by a licensed physician for therapeutic purposes. It prohibits these entities from imposing quantity limits on such coverage or denying it solely because the treatment is labeled "unproven," "experimental," or "investigational." The law applies to all health insurance policies issued, delivered, or renewed in Maryland on or after January 1, 2026. This directly affects patients diagnosed with Lyme disease or related illnesses who require extended antibiotic therapy, ensuring insurers must cover medically necessary treatment without arbitrary restrictions.