WEEKLY UPDATE: 12/12/24
In response to widespread public outcry over plans to institute time limits on anesthesia services for customers in some states, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield on Thursday, December 5 revoked a policy scheduled to take effect in February 2025. The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) reached out to Anthem representatives to clarify the parameters of the policy and confirmed it would not have applied to Connecticut anesthesiologists.
The policy, which the company published on its website at the beginning of November but has since retracted, would have created a time limit for coverage of anesthesia during surgeries. The insurer would have denied reimbursement for claims that exceeded the cap.
According to the Connecticut Insurance Department, the billing change for anesthesiologists would not have applied in Connecticut due to contracts with providers already in place, and “citizens were unnecessarily alarmed,” as reported by the Hartford Courant. However, the uproar from local and national officials prompted Anthem to cancel the policy’s impending rollout in other states.
The events have sparked new legislation in Congress aimed at prohibiting insurance companies from establishing similar policies in the future. U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) is introducing legislation called the “Anesthesia For All Act,” which “protects patients, promotes fairness, and ensures equitable access to essential healthcare services.”
CHA supports Anthem’s reversal of the policy in all impacted states, as healthcare decisions should be made between providers and patients, not insurance companies through restrictions on coverage.
