Legislation requiring health insurance providers to pick up at least part of the cost of rabies vaccinations has Sen. George Borrello’s support.

S.7501 passed the Senate last week in a unanimous vote. The bill requires insurance coverage of post-exposure treatment for rabies when authorized by a county health authority and requires health care providers who are paid directly by the county health authority to accept a reimbursement rate set by the state health commissioner.

Rabies can be transmitted to humans from certain animals known as rabies vector species, like bats and raccoons, and it is fatal in 100% of cases if it is not treated quickly and thoroughly. County health departments are statutorily required to provide post-exposure treatment to anyone who may have been exposed to rabies within their jurisdiction. The cost of this treatment ranges from about $1,200-$6,500 per exposure. There is limited state funding for county rabies prevention programs, and many counties spend thousands more than their allotment because of the number of exposures.

The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-Kingston and chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Borrello is the ranking member on the committee. On the Senate floor, the Sunset Bay Republican said he had a personal reason for voting in favor of S.7501.

Borrello’s wife, Kelly, was bitten by a monkey during a trip to Panama. During a boat trip to Monkey Island near the Panama Canal, a monkey jumped onto the boat the Borrellos were riding in and, when Mrs. Borrello tried to pet the monkey, the monkey bit her hand.

Borrello said the doctors in Panama City did a great job stitching up the bite wound and administering antibiotics, but the doctors weren’t sure if a rabies vaccination was needed.

“On the flight home we decided it would be good for her to get the rabies vaccine,” Borrello said. “Rabies is incurable and you will die of a very painful neurological disease. There’s no way to know in any case if the animal actually has the rabies unless they actually have that animal and can dissect his brain. We found all this out as a result of this situation. Thank goodness our county Health Department was on the ball. They did a fantastic job. But the rabies vaccine is multiple injections and very, very expensive. It doesn’t happen often, as I found out, but it does happen. And it is serious. So i think it’s important that insurance companies do step up and pay for this vaccine. I do think it’s important people feel that despite the fact this might be something they’re unsure about, it’s important you do should you ever be exposed to the rabies virus.”