The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. December 5, 2024 Anthem Insurance Plans to Stop Paying for Anesthesia If Surgeries Run Past Time Limit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in Connecticut, New York and Missouri has announced it will stop paying for patients' anesthesia for the full length of surgeries if the procedure goes over an allotted time limit. Donald Arnold, president of American Society of Anesthesiologists, said, "This is just the latest in a long line of appalling behavior by commercial health insurers looking to drive their profits up at the expense of patients and physicians." .