Bill Text: NJ A921 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits health insurance carriers from placing time limit on anesthesia services used for medical or surgical procedures.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-01-13 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee [A921 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A921-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOHN V. AZZARITI JR., M.D.
District 39 (Bergen)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits health insurance carriers from placing time limit on anesthesia services used for medical or surgical procedures.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning health insurance coverage for anesthesia services and supplementing P.L.1997, c.192 (C.26:2S-1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Certain health insurance carriers outside of the State have considered policies that limit or deny health insurance coverage of anesthesia services if they exceed a time limit established by the carrier.
b. The creation of arbitrary time limits for the coverage of anesthesia services would lead to the denial of anesthesia coverage for patients that require longer surgeries due to complications, surgical delays, or other issues that are outside the control of an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist.
c. Arbitrary time limits also have a disproportionate impact on medical centers that educate and train physicians, where surgical and anesthesia residents need additional time to learn how to complete surgeries and address complications that may arise during a surgery.
d. Policies that place a time limit for the coverage of anesthesia services contradict nationally accepted practices for submitting and processing anesthesiology claims, which have never limited the duration of anesthesia care and adequately address fraud and waste.
e. While it is clear that health insurance carriers seek to save money by considering time limits for anesthesia services, it shall be the public policy of the State that time limits for anesthesia services are an affront to a patient's health, safety, and wellness and shall be impermissible.
2. a. A carrier shall not:
(1) limit coverage based on the amount of time in which anesthesia services are provided before, during, or after a medical or surgical procedure; or
(2) exclude anesthesia time from anesthesia services.
b. Coverage for anesthesia services shall be based on the sum of base units and time units multiplied by a conversion factor that is determined in each individual network agreement between an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist and a carrier.
c. As used in this section:
"Anesthesia services" means the same as the prevailing medical coding standards found within the professional medical billing community, including the American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology Codebook, the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists guidance.
"Anesthesia time" means the period of time during which a licensed anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist is present with the patient and providing anesthesia services before, during, or after a medical or surgical procedure. When calculating the length of anesthesia time, a licensed anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist may combine blocks of time around an interruption in anesthesia time, provided that the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist provides continuous anesthesia services within the time periods around the interruption.
"Base units" means a base value that is assigned to each Current Procedural Terminology code for anesthesia.
"Carrier" means an insurance company, health service corporation, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, or health maintenance organization authorized to issue health benefits plans in this State.
"Time units" means the amount of time that a patient is receiving anesthesia care. Time units are recognized with appropriate time intervals, with each interval being no more than 15 minutes in length. The sum of the time unit intervals shall equal the total duration of anesthesia time.
3. This act shall take effect on the 90th day next following enactment and shall apply to policies and contracts delivered, issued, executed, or renewed on or after that date.
STATEMENT
This bill prohibits health insurance carriers from placing a time limit on anesthesia services used for medical or surgical procedures.
Under the bill, a carrier is not to limit coverage based on the amount of time in which anesthesia services are provided before, during, or after a medical or surgical procedure. The bill also bars a carrier from excluding anesthesia time from anesthesia services. Additionally, under the bill, coverage for anesthesia services will be based on a formula that is the sum of base units and time units multiplied by a conversion factor that is determined in each individual network agreement between an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist and a carrier.
"Anesthesia services" is defined in the bill to mean the same as the prevailing medical coding standards found within the American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology code for anesthesia, including anesthesia modifier codes. "Anesthesia time" is defined as the period of time during which a licensed anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist is present with the patient and providing anesthesia services before, during, or after a medical or surgical procedure. When calculating the length of anesthesia time, a licensed anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist may combine blocks of time around an interruption in anesthesia time, provided that the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist provides continuous anesthesia services within the time periods around the interruption.
