That bill has now passed out of the state insurance committee unanimously, according to a Feb. 25 report from WAND.
While anesthesia time limits have never been proposed in Illinois, the bill would preemptively stop any future potential time limits.
Dr. Hauter said the bill is in response to a policy floated by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield in November 2024 that would have placed time limits on procedures using anesthesia in Missouri, New York and Connecticut.
“It’s in very little control of the patient, very little control of the anesthesiologists and even the surgeon has no control of length of surgery,” Dr. Hauter told WAND. “This is an outrageous policy and HB1141 makes sure this doesn’t happen in Illinois.”
