Anthem’s backtrack is a win for the AMA, and a sign the payer may be feeling the heat after protests of similar cost-cutting measures enacted in the past several months. Those include refusing to pay for MRIs and CT scans performed at hospitals on an outpatient basis, limiting the coverage of anesthesiologists during cataract surgery and reviewing emergency room claims and denying those it deems medically unnecessary.
Anthem showed signs of walking back these policies earlier this year when it made exceptions for the ER restrictions, including visits for children and those that happen on a weekend or holiday.
Read more: Healthcare Dive