TLDR: The insurance company has a new policy, set to take effect in February 2025, where they decide how much anesthesia is needed for surgeries. They won’t pay for any anesthesia over that, with exemptions for maternity and pediatric cases and for Connecticut providers.
The article also notes the insurance company reported a $2.3 billion net income increase in June 2024.
Edit to update: Anthem now says they won’t put this policy into effect
Interesting timing. I wonder if anyone will murder their CEO.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Koziara_Boudreaux
She also worked for UnitedHealth as an executive, just saying
She was their CEO for a while.
That’s a nice CEO you got there. Be a shame if something happened to them.
Or would it
It was already reversed.
We got them scared
Didn’t verify, but someone said it was only reversed in like one out of the five proposed states. Figures
"One of the reasons that she has remained so active in this particular field is because she has seen what it does to people when they can’t get insurance to cover the healthcare they need,” Money Inc. wrote.
…and she liked it.
Money Inc
“In 2023, she made $21.9 million.” (Wikipedia)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gail_Koziara_Boudreaux
Evil comes in all shapes and sizes.
From January 2011 to November 2014, she served as the chief executive officer of UnitedHealthcare
Small world, when you move in those circles. Imagine how these people convince themselves they’re doing something good and admirable.
So they can hurt millions of people all just a little bit more but somehow they are the good guys worth protecting?
Yeah, we’d be right to start carving names into bullets too. And yet people in charge can’t figure out why protecting these people and their money means the mass populace hates them.
I’d say any surgery without anesthesia is hurting more than a little bit. What are we, Gaza?
The fact that there aren’t riots in the US demanding universal care simply baffles me.
So, at the absolute most charitable interpretation, this punishes patients for having a slow surgical staff or for a surgery having complications. Like most insurance things, punishing the patient for shit completely outside of their control.
On top of this, best outcome of this (for doctors to try and ensure their patients don’t need to decide between potential financial ruin or surgery) would be for all surgical departments to wildly inflate their surgery times so they can’t ever be over estimate. This will significantly reduce the amount of surgeries able to be completed per day, and hike up the price even more as they have to bill for more time.
The only possible justification for this is attempting to find another place to lower financial costs to the insurance company at any “cost”. I miss when these people had enough shame to not go this mask off.
This actually sets a time limit for anesthesia regardless of procedure or estimated time from the doctors.
It’s entirely up to the insurance company to set an arbitrary time with which they think medical care should be provided within and deny past.It’s nothing but appalling cruelness for the sake of it, and a few extra dollars for a CEO and board of Directors that deserve the opposite of health care.
Sure would be a shame if another targeted assassination was carried out… I might even cry a little (don’t look too closely, I’m not laughing, I’m crying).
deleted by creator
Time for more justice to be dispensed 😂
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield said in a statement that its decision to backpedal resulted from “significant widespread misinformation” about the policy.
Ah, yes, if people complain about being mistreated, it is always “Our plan was misunderstood”, or “The critique is based on misinformation”…
How did they figure out the amount because the different people have different tolerances. My brother had a surgery that had not started and they were like. Your still awake. When meeting with the anethsiaologist before surgery he has to mention he may need a bit more than normal plus I believe there is a weight thing. Is the amount allowed assuming a worst case longest surgery with person who requires the most anesthia to six sigma of the population.
Exactly, like how redheads need more anesthesia
Real answer? Who knows
Cynical answer? However low their lawyers told them they could get away with without being liable
Of course, because in the USA, insurance companies think they understand medicine better than doctors.
And so do Politicians and Parents…
That’s right. Rush the surgeons. That will end well.
This is fucking insane
