Health Insurer Anthem Drops Plan to Limit Anesthesia Payments After Criticism

Health insurance company Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has decided not to go ahead with a policy change that would have put a limit on how much they pay for anesthesia during medical procedures. This change was announced after the company faced weeks of criticism from doctors and healthcare professionals. The proposed policy would have only paid doctors based on a set time limit for anesthesia, regardless of how long the procedure actually took. The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) was one of the first to speak out against this change. They said that the new policy would mean doctors wouldn't get paid if a procedure took longer than the insurer's time limit. This could have been a problem for patients who needed extra care, like those having complex or difficult surgeries. The ASA's president, Dr. Donald Arnold, called the policy a "cynical money grab" by the insurer, saying it put profits before patient care. Anthem, however, said the policy was meant to make sure anesthesia was used appropriately, following well-established clinical guidelines. They also said that any medically necessary anesthesia would still have been paid for under the new policy. In the end, Anthem decided to drop the policy change after realizing their communication about it wasn't clear. This isn't the first time an insurer has tried to restrict anesthesia payments. In January, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts did something similar but also reversed their decision after facing backlash. It's important to remember that the length of a surgery isn't always something the anesthesiologist can control. Often, it depends on the surgeon and the complexity of the procedure.