On Jan. 14, 2026, a new study published in JAMA Network suggest that health care costs associated with an Lyme Disease (LD) diagnosis are high and represent a burden for patients and the health care system.

LD is the most common vector-borne illness in the US, with an estimated 476 000 cases diagnosed and treated each year. LD occurs focally in 15 high-incidence U.S. states and Washington, DC; the geographic distribution is expanding.

Most commonly, patients have localized disease, which presents as a single-lesion erythema migrans, often accompanied by flulike symptoms. Patients with disseminated disease manifest symptoms including multiple erythema migrans rashes, joint pain and swelling, and specific neurologic or cardiac symptoms.

In this cohort study involving 70 531 case patients with LD, direct health care costs of LD per patient were consistently high across all methods of estimation ($2227-$5571), particularly for those with disseminated disease.

The annual health care costs of LD in high-incidence states could range between $591 million and $1.05 billion (2022 dollars). This estimation does not include all states or indirect costs. Given the continued geographic expansion of LD, it is expected that costs will increase. Thus, there is a need for effective preventive measures to reduce costs for patients and the health care system.