Parents, doctors push bill to require state health plan coverage for PANS/PANDAS treatments

House Bill 124, presented Jan. 8 to the Life and Health Insurance Subcommittee by Representative Mitchell Scoggins, would require coverage under the State Health Benefit Plan for health care services related to PANS and PANDAS, including specified therapies such as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and ozone therapy.

The bill’s sponsor, Representative Mitchell Scoggins, described personal experience in his family and introduced parents and clinicians who testified about delayed diagnoses, extensive out-of-pocket costs, and clinical recommendations. "This bill…deals in Title 33 and Title 45…so as to require coverage for health care services with PANS and PANDAS," Scoggins said, citing the two code titles the measure would affect.

Multiple parents testified about children who experienced abrupt behavioral and neurological declines after common infections and who later improved after receiving IVIG or other specialized care. Jessica Gowen, a parent advocate with the Southeastern PANS/PANDAS Association, summarized families’ experiences and…