Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Reverses Planned Anesthesia Time Limits—After Intense Pushback
Health insurer Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield says it is no longer planning a policy change that would place time limits on coverage for anesthesia services in Connecticut, New York and Missouri—a reversal after the move drew widespread outrage this week.
The company told Forbes there had been “significant widespread misinformation” about the policy and ... [+] as a result they are not proceeding with the change.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced in November it would begin changing how it processes anesthesia claims in the three states on Feb. 1, 2025, by limiting the amount of time it covers anesthesia for surgeries and procedures in which it’s needed.
The announcements for the three states said the company would begin denying “claims submitted with reported time above the established number of minutes” initially targeted for anesthesia services—though the policy would not apply for people under 22 or maternity-related care.
The policy change drew quick backlash from the American Society of Anesthesiologists, which published a press release on Nov. 14 saying Anthem “will no longer pay for anesthesia care if the surgery or procedure goes beyond an arbitrary time limit, regardless of how long the surgical procedure takes.”
