Anthem halts plan to put time limits on coverage for anesthesia during surgery after widespread outrage

Health Insurer Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Announced, Then Reversed, Caps on Anesthesia Coverage

"You can't honestly expect OR staff to adhere to surgery time based on insurance coverage," one TikTok user said.

Anthem BCBS Has Sudden, Mysterious Change Of Heart On Anesthesia — But Did We Get Played?

Photo by philippe spitalier on UnsplashEarlier this week, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced that it would no longer cover anesthesia in surgeries beyond a certain time limit — a prospect that scared the pants off of many of us, as we pictured doctors rushing through operations, waking up in the middle of open heart surgery, or surprise bills charging us thousands for anesthesia that our insurance company refused to cover. After all, we are…

Anthem withdraws plan limiting anesthesia coverage after criticism by doctors and officials, highlighting tensions between insurers and medical safety

A big insurer backed off its plan to pay less for anesthesia. That’s bad.

An anesthesiologist preparing a patient for surgery. | Kupicoo/Getty Images In November, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) issued a dire warning: One of America’s largest insurance companies — Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield — had just “unilaterally declared it 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.” The decision…

Elevance Health Stock Falls As Anthem Faces Backlash Over Anesthesia Policy, Announces Reversal - Elevance Health (NYSE:ELV)

When Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said it will no longer pay for anesthesia care if the surgery or procedure exceeds an arbitrary time limit, parent company Elevance Health Inc (NYSE:ELV) faced backlash and reneged on the policy change. What Happened: In an update on Thursday, Elevance stated: “Based on feedback received and misinterpretation of our policy change, it is evident that our communication regarding this policy was not clear, and a…

Proposed time limits on anesthesia may have jeopardized patient safety

Blue Cross Blue Shield’s now rescinded plan to put time limits on anesthesia put a spotlight on a poorly understood profession.