One of the country鈥檚 largest health insurers reversed a change in policy Thursday after widespread outcry, saying it would not tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient went under anesthesia.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from 鈥渟ignificant widespread misinformation鈥� about the policy.
鈥淭o 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,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淭he proposed update to the policy was only designed to clarify the appropriateness of anesthesia consistent with well-established clinical guidelines.鈥�
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield would have used "physician work time values," which is published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as the metric for anesthesia limits; maternity patients and patients under the age of 22 were exempt. But Dr. Jonathan Gal, economics committee chair of the American Society for Anesthesiologists, said it's unclear how CMS derives those values.
In mid-November, called on Anthem to 鈥渞everse the proposal immediately,鈥� saying in a news release that the policy would have taken effect in February in New York, 91原创icut and Missouri. It's not clear how many states in total would have been affected, as notices also were and .
People across the country registered their concerns and complaints on social media, and encouraged people in affected states to call their legislators. Some people noted that the policy could prevent patients from getting overcharged.
Gal said the policy change would have been unprecedented, ignored the 鈥渘uanced, unpredictable human element鈥� of surgery and was a clear 鈥渕oney grab.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 incomprehensible how a health insurance company could so blatantly continue to prioritize their profits over safe patient care,鈥� he said. "If Anthem is, in fact, rescinding the policy, we鈥檙e delighted that they came to their senses.鈥�
Prior to Anthem's announcement Thursday, 91原创icut comptroller Sean Scanlon said the 鈥渃oncerning鈥� policy wouldn't affect the state after conversations with the insurance company. And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an emailed statement Thursday that her office had also successfully intervened.
The insurance giant鈥檚 policy change came one day after , another major insurance company, was shot and killed in New York City.
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Devna Bose, The Associated Press
