{"id":6488,"date":"2024-12-05T08:05:52","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T08:05:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6488"},"modified":"2024-12-09T08:11:30","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T08:11:30","slug":"health-care-outrage-anthems-anesthesia-limits-under-fire-after-ceo-assassination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6488","title":{"rendered":"Health Care Outrage: Anthem\u2019s Anesthesia Limits Under Fire After CEO Assassination"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0<span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/staceybrown\/\">Stacy M. Brown<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy Midtown Manhattan street has intensified scrutiny of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield\u2019s controversial new anesthesia reimbursement policy, set to roll out next year in several states.<\/p>\n<p>As outrage grows among medical professionals and policymakers, connections between systemic healthcare grievances and the brazen attack have sparked heated discussions across the country.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-anthem-s-policy-under-fire\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Anthem\u2019s Policy Under Fire<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Anthem\u2019s plan will limit reimbursement for anesthesia services during surgeries based on predetermined time limits, using metrics known as \u201cPhysician Work Time values\u201d from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-1 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-caf9af3267-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>If an anesthesiologist\u2019s care exceeds the allowed time, Anthem will deny payment for the additional time, according to notices issued to providers in states including New York, Connecticut, Missouri, and Colorado.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith this new policy, Anthem will arbitrarily predetermine the time allowed for anesthesia care during a surgery or procedure,\u201d the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.asahq.org\/\">American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)<\/a>\u00a0said in a statement. \u201cIf an anesthesiologist submits a bill where the actual time of care is longer than Anthem\u2019s limit, Anthem will deny payment. Anthem will not pay anesthesiologists for delivering safe and effective anesthesia care to patients who may need extra attention because their surgery is difficult, unusual, or because a complication arises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Donald E. Arnold, ASA president, condemned the policy in a strongly worded open letter to Anthem\u2019s parent company, Elevance Health Inc. \u201cThe Anthem policy provides no justification for paying for anesthesia services for only a portion of a patient\u2019s surgery,\u201d Arnold wrote, calling the policy \u201cinappropriate and misguided.\u201d He emphasized the potential dangers for patients, especially those requiring extended or complex surgical procedures.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis egregious policy breaks the trust between Anthem and its policyholders who expect their health insurer to pay physicians for the entirety of the care they need,\u201d Arnold added.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-fallout-from-unitedhealthcare-ceo-s-assassination\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fallout from UnitedHealthcare CEO\u2019s Assassination<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Thompson\u2019s targeted killing has cast a shadow over the healthcare industry. The 7 a.m. attack unfolded outside the Hilton Midtown as Thompson prepared to attend his company\u2019s annual investor conference. Surveillance footage shows the gunman, a masked figure in a hooded jacket, shooting Thompson multiple times, even clearing weapon jams with apparent ease before fleeing. Investigators have since linked the attack to potential grievances within the healthcare system.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-2 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-2bd992b9b0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>A shell casing found at the scene bore the word \u201cdepose,\u201dand a live round ejected during the incident was inscribed with \u201cdelay.\u201d Police are investigating whether these cryptic messages reference the industry phrase \u201cdelay, deny, defend,\u201d often associated with controversial insurance practices.<\/p>\n<p>The NYPD has released photos of a person of interest who was captured smiling at the front desk of a nearby hostel. Law enforcement officials described the suspect as a \u201clight-skinned male\u201d wearing a cream-colored jacket, black face mask, and a distinctive gray backpack. They have offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the suspect\u2019s arrest.<\/p>\n<p>Thompson\u2019s widow, Paulette, revealed to NBC News that her husband had received threats before his death. \u201cThere had been some threats\u2026 a lack of coverage? I don\u2019t know details,\u201d she said. \u201cI just know that he said there were some people that had been threatening him.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-growing-pushback-from-policymakers\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Growing Pushback From Policymakers<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Meanwhile, Anthem\u2019s policy has already been halted in Connecticut following public outcry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter hearing from people across the state about this concerning policy, my office reached out to Anthem, and I\u2019m pleased to share this policy will no longer be going into effect here in Connecticut,\u201d Comptroller Sean Scanlon announced.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-3 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-dc2e0e383b-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>New York Governor Kathy Hochul also criticized the policy, calling it \u201coutrageous.\u201d She posted on X, \u201cI\u2019m going to make sure New Yorkers are protected.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-patient-safety-in-jeopardy\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Patient Safety in Jeopardy<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Critics argue that Anthem\u2019s policy prioritizes profit over patient care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe proposed Anthem policy reflects a significant disconnect between Anthem, its patients, and their needs,\u201d said Arnold, who warned that the policy could jeopardize patient safety during more prolonged or complex surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>Medical professionals said anesthesia care should be tailored to the specific needs of each patient. \u201cThe length of surgery is a function of the surgeon, not the anesthesiologist,\u201d explained Dr. Dhivya Srinivasa, founder of the Institute for Advanced Breast Reconstruction. \u201cThe anesthesiologist is at the mercy of the surgeon for however long they need to take to do the surgery well.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-unanswered-questions\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Unanswered Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>As Anthem faces mounting criticism, the implications of the assassination and the insurer\u2019s controversial policy remain uncertain.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-4 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-ca419f6974-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Investigators continue to piece together clues from the attack, including the slaying suspect\u2019s movements and cryptic inscriptions on ammunition.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will not rest until we identify and apprehend the shooter in this case,\u201d NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch vowed.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/health-care-outrage-anthems-anesthesia-limits-under-fire-after-ceo-assassination\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Published without changes from Washington Informer Newspaper<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0Stacy M. Brown The assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a busy Midtown Manhattan street has intensified<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6489,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-regular-column"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6490,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6488\/revisions\/6490"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}