Anthem Insurance in Missouri to cap anesthesia coverage after certain time limits
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - In a move drawing stark from medical professionals, Anthem Insurance has decided to cap anesthesia coverage at a time limit.
The health insurance giant announced that the move would take effect on Feb. 1, 2025.
“We will utilize the CMS Physician Work Time values to target the number of minutes reported for anesthesia services,” Anthem stated in a November announcement. “Claims submitted with reported time above the established number of minutes will be denied.”
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) decried the move and asked the company to reverse course.
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The exclusions for the change are patients under the age of 22 and maternity-related care.
The ASA stated that it urges those concerned about Anthem’s proposal to their state insurance commissioner or state legislator.
The policy will go into effect for Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans representing Connecticut, New York and Missouri, according to ASA.
Anthem stated that anyone who disagrees with a claim reimbursement decision should follow the claim dispute process outlined in their provider manual, and that documentation ing such requests will be required.
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