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.
Obama’s ACA ‘Fix’ Will Be Tricky To Implement In Alaska
President Obama said today insurers can continue offering the plans they intended to cancel as part of the Affordable Care Act. The announcement is a response to outcry over the President's "if you like your plan you can keep it" promise, which turned out to be untrue for millions of Americans. Now, state insurance regulators and insurance companies have to figure out if they can make Obama's new plan work.
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Alaska Has Few Healthcare.gov Enrollees
Enroll Alaska is back in business. The company suspended enrollments on healthcare.gov last month, after discovering the subsidy calculations weren't working properly for Alaskans.
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Alaska’s Filipino Community Plans Relief Efforts For Typhoon Haiyan Victims
Alaska’s Filipino community is pulling together to help the victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the country early Friday morning.
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Persistence Pays Off On Health Insurance Marketplace
Despite the extensive problems with healthcare.gov, a few dozen Alaskans have managed to enroll in a health plan on the marketplace. Anchorage hair stylist Lara Imler is one of them. She credits a degree in computer programming for helping her get through the process.
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Alaska Insurers Report Marketplace Enrollment Numbers
Nearly one month after the federally run health insurance marketplace launched, just 35 Alaskans have been able to sign up for plans. That's according to the two insurers offering plans on the marketplace, Premera Alaska and Moda Health.
Affordable Care Act Marketplace
Nearly one month after the federal government launched its new online health insurance marketplace, few Alaskans have been able to sign up. We'll discuss the frustrations and the successes with the marketplace and look ahead at how the Affordable Care Act will roll out in 2014.
APRN: Tuesday, 10/29 at 10:00am
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Definition of ‘Alaska Native’ Needs Fixing In Health Care Law
Thousands of Alaska Natives will miss out on benefits they qualify for under the Affordable Care Act if the definition of Alaska Native under the law isn't changed. American Indians and Alaska Natives are exempt from the law's individual mandate to buy health insurance or face a tax penalty.
Alaska Chamber Makes Medicaid Expansion A Priority
The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce has adopted Medicaid expansion as one of its top state legislative priorities. Governor Parnell has expressed reservations about accepting federal funding to allow more Alaskans to qualify for Medicaid. But supporters of the expansion hope the endorsement from the influential Chamber will convince the Governor and Republican lawmakers that it's good for the state.
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A Few Successes For Alaska’s Health Insurance Marketplace
Enroll Alaska has successfully signed up seven people this week for health insurance on the state's new Affordable Care Act Marketplace, but nearly three weeks into the launch of the marketplace, the company expected to have many more people enrolled.
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Former DNR Commish Dan Sullivan Announces Senate Run
Former Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan announced he's running for U.S. Senate this morning in Anchorage.
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Signing Up For Insurance On Federal Marketplace Still A Waiting Game
The main groups working to help Alaskans sign up for marketplace insurance plans haven't successfully enrolled anyone. One week after after the launch of the federally run health insurance marketplace, it's still not operational.
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High Web Traffic Cripples Federal Health Insurance Marketplaces
A day after the launch of Alaska’s health insurance marketplace, it’s still impossible to sign up for plans on the website. The federal government says higher than expected web traffic has hampered all of the federally run marketplace sites, like the one in Alaska. They are working to add more server capacity to address the problem.
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Health Insurance Marketplace Launches In Alaska
Alaska's federally run health insurance marketplace officially launched on Oct. 1 as part of the Affordable Care Act. Starting Jan. 1, most people in the country will be required to have insurance and the Marketplace will allow them to shop for insurance and qualify for subsidies to help pay for it. Large amounts of website traffic and other glitches has made it impossible to sign up for insurance on the site so far today, but community advocates for the law are urging patience.
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Groups Work To Educate Alaskans On Health Insurance Marketplace
On October 1st, the federal government will launch its health insurance marketplace in Alaska. Several groups in the state are starting to get the word out about how residents can sign up for health plans under the law.
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Feds Release Affordable Care Act Insurance Rates
Alaskans will be paying some of the highest premiums in the country for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
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Denali Loses A Few Feet, Remains North America’s Tallest Peak
The tallest peak in North America is not as tall as previously thought. That’s according to new data from a federal and state effort to provide more detailed topographical maps of Alaska. Denali was measured at 20,237 feet – 83 feet shorter than maps indicate today.
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Chukchi Polar Bear Population Remains Healthy As Ice Coverage Lessens
The Chukchi Sea has one of the highest rates of sea ice loss in the Arctic, but the polar bears there don’t appear to be suffering as a result. A new study from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service shows the Chukchi Sea bears are just as healthy as they were 20 years ago. The bears still face a grim long term future, but the new research shows there will be a lot of nuance along the way in how climate change plays out for polar bears in the Arctic.
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Jewell Considers Human Safety, Wildlife Trade-Off For Izembek Road
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell has a difficult decision ahead of her. She was in King Cove Friday to visit with residents about a road they want to build through the heart of Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Residents say the road is necessary to access emergency medical treatment, but a road has never been built through a wilderness area and environmental groups say it would set a bad precedent.
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300 Villages: Chefornak
This week, we're heading to Chefornak - a small village on the Bering Sea:- to talk Alexandra Anderson, the city clerk.
Premera Braces For Upheaval In Health Insurance Market
The largest health insurer in Alaska is likely to get a lot bigger next year. Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield is one of two insurance companies that will offer plans on the new federally run marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. The company is expecting to serve thousands more customers in the state, but that growth will come with the kind of uncertainty the insurance industry has never had before.
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