It's worth thinking about this policy change alongside the news of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare being shot dead in NY outside a conference of the insurer's investors. The specific individual human beings who run health insurance companies and other institutions of class war wage that war in the smug certainty that they will never be among the scores of casualties.
"In an unprecedented move, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans representing Connecticut, New York and Missouri have unilaterally declared it will no longer pay for anesthesia care if the surgery or procedure goes beyond an arbitrary time limit, regardless of how long the surgical procedure takes.
“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 providing essential care,” said Donald E. Arnold, M.D., FACHE, FASA. “It’s a cynical money grab by Anthem"
https://www.asahq.org/about-asa/newsroom/news-releases/2024/11/anthem-blue-cross-blue-shield-will-not-pay-complete-duration-of-anesthesia-for-surgical-procedures