Some people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome say they are being denied personal insurance because insurers deem it to be a mental health issue, not a biomedical issue.
Otago University Emeritus Professor Warren Tate says there is ‘overwhelming evidence’ that ME/CFS is not a psychological issue – but is post-viral. He is working on having it reclassified as a biomedical illness that involves an immune system dysfunction. More recently, he and other researchers are focusing on the similarities between ME/CFS, and another potentially debilitating post viral condition – long covid.
Kathryn speaks with Professor Tate and a person with ME/CFS whose insurance claim has been denied.