# 119-hr-6545: Anesthesia for All Act

119-hr-6545, Anesthesia for All Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6545
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-6545
- Congress: 119
- Title: Anesthesia for All Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-12-09
- Sponsor: Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Protecting medically necessary anesthesia from arbitrary time caps.** This bill would bar group health plans, private insurers, and Medicaid from using preset duration limits to deny or cut reimbursement for anesthesia. Payment must be based on medical necessity as determined by the attending anesthesiologist, certified registered nurse anesthetist, or other licensed anesthesia provider. - Patients and families: Prevents payment denials or reduced coverage when anesthesia lasts longer than a preset time, supporting access and safety during medically necessary procedures. - Anesthesia providers: Gives attending anesthesiologists, CRNAs, and other anesthesia clinicians the authority to determine medical necessity for reimbursement decisions. - Medicaid enrollees: Amends Section 1902(a) of the Social Security Act to apply the same prohibition on arbitrary time caps to Medicaid, including services delivered through Medicaid managed care organizations. - Oversight and enforcement: Directs the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General to monitor insurers, perform audits, investigate complaints, and report to Congress within 1 year and then every 3 years with findings and recommendations.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-12-18T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Insured patients protected from anesthesia time caps: benefit, medium. If enacted, health plans could not deny or limit payment for anesthesia just because it ran past a preset time cap. Payment decisions would be based on medical necessity as judged by your anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, or other licensed anesthesia provider. This would apply to group and indiv…
- No Medicaid time caps on anesthesia: benefit, medium. If enacted, state Medicaid programs, including managed care plans, could not deny or cap payment for anesthesia just because it lasted beyond a preset time. Medical necessity would be decided by the attending anesthesiologist, nurse anesthetist, or other anesthesia provider. This would start upon e…
- HHS watchdog would audit insurers: benefit, medium. If enacted, the HHS Office of Inspector General would audit insurers and investigate complaints about noncompliance with these anesthesia protections. The office would report to Congress within one year of enactment and then every three years. Reports would include audit findings, violations sent t…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act
- 119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-6545 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6545)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644)
- [119-hr-8870: BUILD America 250 Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8870)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6545 (as of 2026-04-21).