Washington state lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would prohibit insurers from denying coverage or capping reimbursement based on the duration of anesthesia used during a procedure, according to a Jan. 29 Columbus Basin Herald report.
House Bill 1812, sponsored by Rep. Alicia Rule, applies to health carriers offering plans to public employees, including Medicaid and those administered by the Washington Health Care Authority. If passed, it would eliminate time caps on anesthesia reimbursement and establish enforcement authority for the Office of the Insurance Commissioner, including monetary penalties, claim repayment and potential license suspension or revocation. Violations would also be published on the agency’s website.
The bill was originally introduced in 2025 after Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield enacted, and then reversed, a reimbursement policy that capped anesthesia payments based on CMS physician work time values. The 2024 policy, which was rolled back following public backlash, would have affected claims in New York, Connecticut and Missouri.
The bill would preserve the existing CMS reimbursement structure, which calculates anesthesia payments in 15-minute increments with adjustments for complexity.
The bill was heard Jan. 27 at the House Healthcare and Wellness Committee. An executive session has not yet been scheduled.
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