Anthem cancels controversial anesthesia policy after widespread outrage

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is canceling a proposed policy change on anesthesia coverage after extensive backlash. On Nov. 1, Anthem announced they would soon cap anesthesia coverage to a certain time limit and would deny anesthesia claims that exceeded the allotted minutes.

While the American Society of Anesthesiologists promptly reacted to the proposal, the policy did not gain widespread attention until the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. After a day of public outcry, Anthem told Straight Arrow News they are canceling the policy.

“There has been significant widespread misinformation about an update to our anesthesia policy,” Anthem BCBS told Straight Arrow News in a statement. “As a result, we have decided to not proceed with this policy change. To be clear, it never was and never will be the policy of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to not pay for medically necessary anesthesia services. The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines.”

Original story: People are outraged over a health insurance company’s new policy on paying for anesthesia. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will soon cap anesthesia coverage to a certain time limit. If insurance is billed for a patient’s anesthesia needs that exceed that set amount of time, Anthem says it’ll deny the claim.

The new policy would affect patients with Anthem coverage in Connecticut, Missouri, and New York starting Feb. 1, 2025.

Anthem BCBS announced this policy on Nov. 1, but it wasn’t widely noticed until the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday, Dec. 4. 

The killing unleashed a social media fury, revealing what many Americans think about health insurance companies. That brought this little-known anesthesia change to light.

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When she heard about it Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, called it “outrageous,” and said, “I’m going to make sure New Yorkers are protected.”

Meanwhile, the American Society of Anesthesiologists called on Anthem in mid-November “to reverse this proposal immediately.”

Anthem said it’ll use, “CMS Physician Work Time values to target the number of minutes reported for anesthesia services. Claims submitted with reported time above the established number of minutes will be denied.”

The only exclusions are patients younger than 22 years old and maternity-related care.

“This is just the latest in a long line of appalling behavior by commercial health insurers looking to drive their profits up at the expense of patients and physicians providing essential care,” ASA President Dr. Donald E. Arnold said. “This egregious policy breaks the trust between Anthem and its policyholders who expect their health insurer to pay physicians for the entirety of the care they need.”

Arnold called it “a cynical money grab by Anthem.”

The criticism continued on social media and drew the attention of several politicians and doctors.

babe wake up your surgery isn’t done yet but we can’t afford anymore anesthesia https://t.co/5nWfrluA9e

— Josh Trebach, MD (@jtrebach) December 4, 2024