Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will no longer implement a policy to limit coverage of anesthesia, according to the state comptroller.
“After hearing from people across the state about this concerning policy, my office reached out to Anthem, and I’m pleased to share this policy will no longer be going into effect here in Connecticut,” State Comptroller Sean Scanlon said in a statement on Thursday.
Anthem had announced the new policy last month. It told patients that they it was going to change how it evaluated billed time starting Feb. 1, 2025 and policyholders could file a claim dispute if they disagreed with a claim reimbursement decision.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists said the plan would have required Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield customers to pay out of pocket for anesthesia if a surgery or procedure went longer than expected.
Scanlon said Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield will no longer be implementing the policy to limit coverage of anesthesiology after conversations with the company, which is the provider for the state employee health plan and many others throughout Connecticut.
The Connecticut Hospital Association said it is their understanding that the policy would not apply to anesthesia providers in Connecticut.
Attorney General William Tong issued a statement on Thursday afternoon.
“Good. The anesthesia coverage cap was a terrible policy. Neither patients nor anesthesiologists can control the length of a surgical procedure once it begins. What did Anthem expect doctors to do? Wake patients up in the middle of surgery? I’m glad Anthem listened to patients and doctors and reversed course,” Tong said in a statement.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield.
