Illinois bill would bar time limits on anesthesia coverage
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — A bill in the Capitol would bar insurance companies from putting time limits on anesthesia coverage.
'The goal is to make sure that Illinoisans get the coverage that they paid for and that they deserve and that they were promised,' State Rep. Bill Hauter (R-Morton) said.
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It comes after Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said they would tie payments in some states to the length of time a patient was under anesthesia. The health insurance provider planned to base the length of time a surgery or procedure is estimated to take based on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's physician work time values.
After public outcry, they reversed the decision in December saying there was 'significant widespread misinformation' about the policy.
The proposal in the State Capitol would guarantee that insurance companies cover anesthesia regardless of how long the procedure takes.
Dignity in Pay Act signed into Illinois law
'The patient doesn't have any control over that, the anesthesiologist certainly doesn't have any control over it, and the surgeon sometimes has very little control if there's an issue with anatomy or there's a complication or there's a problem with the equipment in some way,' Hauter, who is also a physician and anesthesiologist, said. 'You can see how that would be ludicrous and almost dangerous.'
If the bill becomes law, it would apply to insurance policies that begin at the start of January next year.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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