Annie Feidt, Alaska Public Media - Anchorage
Annie Feidt is the broadcast managing editor at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at afeidt@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Annie here.
Health Care Costs in Alaska
Do you dread getting a bill from the hospital or your doctor's office? Healthcare costs are rising quickly in Alaska and we're all paying the bills. We'll look at why health care costs so much here and what we can do to reduce those costs.
APRN: Tuesday, 4/14 at 10:00am
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Lawmakers Discuss Medicaid Expansion, Meaning Of ‘Payment Reform’
The state House Finance Committee has spent several hours this week considering the Governor's Medicaid expansion bill- HB 148. A lot of that time has been focused on finding a better way to pay for health care services. It's called "payment reform" and it's a big topic of discussion in the health care world right now.
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Medicaid Expansion Bill Clears First Hurdle
Governor Walker's Medicaid Expansion bill has passed it's first committee in the House. HB 148 was approved by the House Health and Social Services Committee Tuesday night with a 6 to 1 vote.
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Alaskans Testify On Governor’s Medicaid Expansion Bill
Lawmakers took public testimony for the first time Thursday on Governor Bill Walker's bill to expand Medicaid. The public spoke during the last 30 minutes of the House Health and Social Services committee's hearing on HB 148.
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Alaska Joins Investigation Into Premera Cyber Attack
Alaska is participating in an multi-state investigation into Premera following a cyber attack on the health insurer early this year. The state's insurance director says she has a lot of questions about why the attack occurred and why it took the company two months to announce it publicly.
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Senate Republicans Preview Medicaid Reform Bill
Senator Pete Kelly, a Fairbanks Republican, previewed a bill he's planning to introduce this week to reform the current Medicaid system. At a press conference this morning, he said the bill won't include a provision to expand Medicaid. A group of Anchorage religious leaders and lay people are in Juneau to try to convince him and other skeptical lawmakers to change their minds on the issue.
Budget Cuts Would Eliminate Health Care Commission
The Alaska Health Care Commission would be eliminated in proposed funding cuts from the House finance committee. The Commission makes policy recommendations to the legislature and the Governor to improve the health of Alaskans and control health care costs.
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New Alaska Branch of Americans For Prosperity Campaigns Against Medicaid Expansion
The conservative group Americans for Prosperity, backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, recently opened an office in Anchorage. They're working to convince elected officials to support their vision of smaller government. And one of their main priorities this legislative session is defeating Medicaid expansion.
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Alaska’s Healthcare.gov Enrollment Jumps To Nearly 21K
Almost 21,000 Alaskans signed up for health insurance on healthcare.gov during the open enrollment period that closed Feb. 15.
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Republican Lawmakers Express Doubts On Medicaid Expansion
House Republicans expressed skepticism over Governor Walker's plan to expand Medicaid in a hearing this morning. The subcommittee hearing of the House Health and Social Services Committee was the first chance for lawmakers to publicly question Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson on the subject.
Health Department Says Medicaid Expansion Can Save State Money
Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson unveiled two new reports today (Friday) at a press conference in Anchorage she hopes will help make the case for Medicaid expansion. They show Alaska can actually save money by expanding the program, even as the federal match drops below 100 percent.
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After Regrouping In Anchorage, Kikkan Randall Looks Towards World Championships
Alaska Pacific University skier Kikkan Randall has spent three years on top of the World Cup sprint standings. This season has been different- she's struggled to make even the top ten in races. Randall's back in Europe now, after spending a few weeks in Anchorage to regroup.
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Alaska Regional Hospital To Open Mountain View Clinic
Alaska Regional Hospital is planning to open a healthcare clinic in Mountain View by the end of year. There aren't any primary care services in the neighborhood currently. That's forcing residents to use Alaska Regional's emergency room for routine care, according to Medicaid data from the state Department of Health and Social Services. That costs the hospital in uncompensated care and it costs the state in unnecessary Medicaid payments.
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Alaska Regional Hospital To Open Mountain View Clinic
Alaska Regional Hospital is planning to open a healthcare clinic in Mountain View by the end of year. There aren't any primary care services in the Anchorage neighborhood currently.
Bill Streur Hired As Medicaid Budget, Expansion Consultant
The Senate Finance Committee approved hiring former-health commissioner Bill Streur today as a consultant on the Medicaid budget and Medicaid expansion. Expanding the program as part of the Affordable Care Act is a priority of Governor Bill Walker, but many Republican lawmakers say the state can't afford any new spending.
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Healthcare.gov Navigators See Steady Enrollment As Deadline Approaches
Nearly 17,000 Alaskans have signed up for health insurance on healthcare.gov during this open enrollment period. That's already a substantial increase from last year. And Affordable Care Act navigators expect the next three weeks will be even busier as the February 15th enrollment deadline approaches.
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Small Businesses Struggle To Comply With Health Insurance Requirement
Starting this month, businesses in Alaska with more than 100 full time workers have to provide health insurance. And under the Affordable Care Act "full time" is any employee who works more than 30 hours a week. Senator Lisa Murkowski is sponsoring legislation that would change that threshold to 40 hours. Many restaurants owners in Anchorage are watching the legislation closely.
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About 16,000 Alaskans Sign Up On Healthcare.gov
The federal government says about 16,000 Alaskans have signed up for health insurance on healthcare.gov. That's about 3,000 more than signed up during the initial open enrollment period.
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AK: The Art Of Medicine
Physicians spend a lot of time thinking about how to fix the human body. A group of young doctors in Anchorage recently had the chance to draw it instead. They are all overworked, over tired interns-midway through their first year of residency. But they spent a morning in an intro to drawing class in an effort to get them to think more creatively about their careers.
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AK Essay: Barenaked
Nude is what is it is called. Nude is artsy and sophisticated. But when I crumpled onto the small wooden platform, I was just plain old naked. And then when I crawled the several feet between me and my robe, I was even more naked.
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