On Wednesday, the Senate Insurance and Financial Institutions Committee approved Senate Bill (SB) 311, authored by State Senator David Niezgodski (D-South Bend). SB 311 would require health insurance plans in Indiana to provide coverage for PANDAS and PANS, infection-triggered autoimmune diseases that are often misdiagnosed in children. Children with PANDAS or PANS often exhibit Tourette-like behavior that can become permanent, but it is possible to reverse neurological damage if treatments like immunoglobulin therapy, which can cost families upwards of $25,000 out-of-pocket, are enacted quickly.

“Life is challenging enough for families when their kids are sick,” Sen. Niezgodski said. “The last thing they need is to face insurmountable credit card debt or remortgage their homes because their health insurance won’t cover the care their kids need.

“It’s the General Assembly’s responsibility to make sure Hoosier families are getting the coverage they need even for complex diseases such as PANS or PANDAS. If signed into law, SB 311 would show families who have faced the difficulty of treating a child affected by these debilitating disorders that Indiana cares about Hoosier children.”

SB 311 now moves to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate