Alaska Health Insurance

How healthy is living
in Alaska?

Alaska is ranked as the 35th healthiest state to live in, according to the 2011 study by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• Smoking has declined in Alaska over the past five years, from 24.9 percent of the adult population to 20.4 percent.

The bad news:

• The state's overall ranking fell five spots over the past year.
• The percentage of obese adults in the state has climbed to 25.2 percent over the past decade.

Alaska's best and worst category rankings:

• Diabetes – 1st
• Public health funding – 2nd
• Air Pollutiony – 4th
• Cardiovascular Deaths – 6th
• Binge Drinking – 48th
• Violent Crime – 49th
• Geographic Disparity – 49th
• Occupational Fatalities – 50th
• Infectious Disease – 50th

more details

• See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Alaska.
• Trust for America's Health ia another source for key Alaska health quality findings. In addition, 2010's federal health reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included the creation of a prevention fund to provide more than $16 billion over the next 10 years to invest in effective, proven prevention efforts, like childhood obesity prevention and tobacco cessation, and the site has a report on how it impacts Alaska here.

get local health results

State snapshot too large? Get county-by-county health rankings for Alaska, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Does Alaska have a health insurance high risk pool?

Alaska Comprehensive Health Insurance Association
Toll-free 1-888-290-0616

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, Alaska started offering health care insurance coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about Alaska's participation, click here.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state to state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the pool to keep it in the black. In the best cases, they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Read more about risk pools here.

Non-profit sources of health insurance information for Alaska

• The Foundation for Health Coverage Education's mission is to provide simplified public and private health insurance eligibility information in order to help more people access coverage. Here is its guide to guide on how to find health insurance in Alaska.
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tracking the progress of health insurance reform in each state. Its page for Alaska can be found here.
• The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a private, non-profit organization that, among other things, provides health care plan report cards for consumers. Search for Alaska health insurance plan report cards.

Alaska state government health insurance resources

State of Alaska Health Care Services —  Part of the department of Health and Social Services. Adult dental care services Chronic and Acute Medical Assistance (CAMA) Medicaid

Denali KidCare —  Denali KidCare is a State of Alaska program designed to ensure that children and teens of both working and non-working families can get health insurance.

Alaska Department of Insurance —  Health insurance information, including how to file a complaint.

How did Alaska officials vote on health reform?

H.R.2: Repealing the Health Care Bill

#14

Date of Vote: 1/19/2011 Status: House passed 245-189, 1 not voting

HOUSE|SENATE

1/19/2011--Passed House amended. Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective as of its enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act. Repeals the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of the Act's enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by the Act's health care provisions. [more]

Yes (1)

• Donald Young