Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield to cover anesthesia coverage after a certain time frame

ROCHESTER, NY (WROC) – Those using Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance will likely soon have to pay out-of-pocket for anesthesia services if their surgeries fall outside of a certain time limit. This applies to patients in the states of New York, Missouri and Connecticut.

Officials with BCBS announced that this would begin with claims processed on or after February 1, 2025. According to BCBS, “we will use the CMS Physician Work Time values ​​to target the number of minutes reported for anesthesia services.” Any surgery that goes beyond the set limit will no longer be covered.

There are some exceptions to this. These include patients under the age of 22 and patients in need of maternity care.

News 8 reached out to Anthem BCBS and Excellus BCBS to learn more. Officials said to expect more details on Thursday.

On Wednesday night in response to this news, Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote via X (formerly Twitter), “Outrageous. I will make sure New Yorkers are protected.”