Anesthesia time limit ban passes out of IL Senate committee unanimously

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A bill to require insurance companies to cover anesthesia during surgery no matter how long passed unanimously out of the Illinois Senate insurance committee.

Insurance companies have enacted anesthesia time limits in Missouri, Connecticut and New York, where patients can be forced to front the medical bill.

These companies set time limits by finding the average time a surgery can last. However, often times surgery can last longer based on equipment difficulties or surgery complications.

State Rep. William Hauter (R-Morton) said this hasn't happened in Illinois, but his bill could stop insurance companies from potentially doing it in the future.

"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," Hauter said. "This is an outrageous policy and HB1141 makes sure this doesn't happen in Illinois."

With the bill having reached the Senate, state Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) is vouching the anesthesia time limit ban.

"We have to put patients over profit," Turner said. "Insurance companies use tactics like not covering anesthesia for the entirety of a procedure to put money in their own pockets, rather than prioritizing the health and well-being of patients."

Now that the proposal has passed the Senate insurance committee, it will head to the House floor. Lawmakers could talk about the policy in the coming weeks.