Anthem Blue Cross reverses policy on not covering anesthesia in certain surgeries

December 6, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

Signage on the outside of the corporate headquarters building of health insurance company Anthem is shown in Indianapolis. Photo: Michael Conroy/AP

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NEW YORK AND NATIONWIDE — A MAJOR HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANY HAS REVERSED A NEW COVERAGE POLICY that would have taken effect early next year in New York and other states concerning anesthesia administered during surgery, the Associated Press reported. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said it is reversing an earlier decision to link payments to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia. The decision was based on a metric that presupposed a normally-progressing surgery. Anthem released a statement on the reversal, pointing out that its decision to backpedal resulted from “significant widespread misinformation” about the policy.

“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 statement said. “The proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines,” but ones whose basis was not clearly communicated.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists denounced the earlier decision in a statement last month: “With this new policy, Anthem will not pay anesthesiologists for delivering safe and effective anesthesia care to patients who may need extra attention because their surgery is difficult, unusual or because a complication arises.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul intervened and stated on her web page on Thursday, Dec. 5, “We pushed Anthem to reverse course and today they will be announcing a full reversal of this misguided policy. Don’t mess with the health and well-being of New Yorkers — not on my watch.”

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