Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield halts anesthesia payment policy after backlash
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said Thursday it was not going ahead with a policy change that would limit reimbursements for anesthesia during surgery and medical procedures.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said Thursday it was not going ahead with a policy change that would limit reimbursements for anesthesia during surgery and medical procedures. The new policy would have reimbursed doctors based on time limits set by the insurer.
Anthem BCBS, one of the largest health insurers in the U.S., quietly announced the new reimbursement policy last month for Connecticut, New York and Missouri beginning in February. The policy change triggered outrage from the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
Initially, the policy update went unnoticed, but that changed Wednesday after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot killed in New York City. The killing sparked a wave of online vitriol about the U.S. health care system, and Anthem BCBS’s decision roared into the conversation.
A spokesperson for Anthem BCBS said in a statement: “There has been significant widespread misinformation about an update to our anesthesia policy. As a result, we have decided to not proceed with this policy change."
The spokesperson added, "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.”
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