Insurance claims for Lyme disease care increased nearly 120%

A new white paper from Fair Health found that insurance claims — for a health care service or procedure — related to Lyme disease increased nearly 120% between 2007 and 2018. Here’s what else you need to know: 

• Overall trends: Claims for Lyme disease increased by 117% between 2007-2018, although such claims still made up less than 1% of all insurance claim lines. Lyme disease made up nearly 94% of claim lines for all tick-borne diseases last year alone. 
• Geographic distribution: Urban areas experienced more than a 120% growth in claims related to Lyme disease, while rural areas saw a 105% increase, a gap that researchers attribute to people perhaps seeking care more in urban areas. 
• Age and gender: In 2018, more claims were submitted for females than males. Individuals aged 51-60 had the largest share of claims related to Lyme disease, followed by those ages 41-50.