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.
After a health crisis, help navigating the complicated medical system
The road from illness to recovery is often difficult. In the middle of a major health crisis, patients are expected to navigate the complicated health care system. A pilot program called Alaska Innovative Medicine in Anchorage is rounding out its first year trying to improve that journey for patients while also spending fewer healthcare dollars.
Download Audio
Alaskans opt out of insurance, turn to health care sharing ministries
As health insurance rates rise out of reach for many Alaskans, some residents are turning to an alternative -- Christian health care sharing ministries.
Download Audio
Alaska’s dinosaurs and paleontology’s future in the north
A hundred million years ago, dinosaurs roamed what's now Arctic tundra. Scientists have recently discovered new fossil sites, and even new species of dinosaurs unique to the north. What did Alaska look like when the dinosaurs roamed? What more is waiting to be uncovered?
APRN: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015 at 10:00am
Listen Now
Alaskans weigh options as health insurance rates soar
The Affordable Care Act was supposed to make health insurance accessible to all Americans. But in Alaska, the high cost of premiums on the individual market has some residents thinking about dropping their coverage.
Download Audio
Chief justice Dana Fabe to retire
Alaska Supreme Court Justice Dana Fabe was the first woman appointed to serve on the court and the first woman to serve as chief justice. She announced plans to retire next summer.
Download Audio
With Medicaid expansion, the chance for a fresh start
Alaskans have been able to sign of for Medicaid expansion for one month. Nearly 2,000 people have enrolled during that time.
Download Audio
Alaska Senators sponsor legislation to repeal Cadillac tax
Alaska's two U. S. Senators are co-sponsoring legislation to repeal the so-called Cadillac tax, which will impact high priced employer health plans starting in 2018. Because health care is so expensive in Alaska, the tax could have a big impact in the state.
Legislative council prepares for next phase of Medicaid expansion lawsuit
The Legislative Council is moving forward with their lawsuit to stop Medicaid expansion. In the meantime, both the legislature and the Walker administration are working with consultants to find ways to reduce the cost of the Medicaid program.
Download Audio
AK: Fishing, Cooking And A Yup’ik Upbringing Made Alaska’s Health Commissioner
When Valerie Davidson agreed to accept the job of Alaska's health commissioner, it was with one important condition. She made sure Gov. Walker was okay with her working out of Bethel each summer. Davidson was born in Bethel and owns a house in the community, right on the Kuskokwim River.
Download Audio:
Obama met by Alaska dignitaries upon arrival at JBER
President Obama is expected to take the stage at the GLACIER conference after landing at JBER in Anchorage about 1:30 this afternoon and greeted a few hundred Alaskans waiting for him on the JBER runway, including Mayor Ethan Berkowitz and Senator Dan Sullivan.
Judge denies injunction; Medicaid to roll out Sept. 1
An Anchorage Superior Court Judge ruled Friday afternoon that Medicaid expansion can go forward in Alaska as planned next week. Judge Frank Pfiffner denied the Alaska Legislative Council's request for a temporary restraining order to stop the program. The council is appealing the decision to the state Supreme Court.
Download Audio
Judge hears arguments in anti-Medicaid lawsuit; Plaintiff attorney joins by Skype
Superior court judge Frank Pfiffner heard oral arguments this afternoon in Anchorage in the Legislative Council’s case against Gov. Bill Walker to stop Medicaid expansion. The Council filed suit Monday to stop the program from going forward as planned next week, saying the governor doesn’t have the authority to expand Medicaid on his own.
Download Audio
Anchorage law firm intervenes on behalf of state in anti-Medicaid lawsuit
An Anchorage law firm is helping the state fight the Legislative Council's lawsuit aimed at stopping Medicaid expansion.
Download Audio
Climate Change in the Far North
President Obama will be in Alaska soon, and he says climate change is the reason for the visit. On the next Talk of Alaska, scientists who've studied warming in Alaska for decades join us on the program to offer perspective from the front lines.
APRN: Tuesday, August 25, at 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Listen now:
To stand a fighting chance, anti-Medicaid lawsuit needs to prove irreparable harm
Medicaid expansion is set to roll out in Alaska September 1st. It would offer health coverage to up to 40,000 very low-income adults who don't have children. The lawmakers suing to stop expansion will ask a judge for a preliminary injunction. That would prohibit the state from implementing the program before the issue is decided in court. Both sides of the lawsuit have specific points they need to prove to win the case.
Download Audio
Legislative panel votes to spend $450K to stop Medicaid expansion in court
A legislative panel has voted to sue Gov. Bill Walker to stop Medicaid expansion. The Legislative Council made the announcement after a closed door meeting in Anchorage on Tuesday morning.
Download Audio
Former NICU Parent Helps Other Families Navigate A Stressful Time
Most people working in a Newborn Intensive Care Unit have some type of advanced medical degree. But one employee at The Children's Hospital at Providence in Anchorage has a very different set of qualifications. Ginny Shaffer spent more than three months in the NICU as a parent, with her daughter who was born at 23 weeks. Now she helps other parents through one of the most stressful times of their lives as a Parent Navigator.
Download Audio
State Raises Concerns Over Costs As Anchorage Hospitals Vie For More ER Beds
State Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson is granting Providence Hospital in Anchorage permission to build eight new emergency room beds. The decision also denies Alaska Regional's plan to build the first freestanding emergency rooms in the state. The commissioner hopes the decision will help discourage inappropriate use of an expensive healthcare option.
Download Audio
State Sides With Providence In Competition To Build New ER Beds
State Health Commissioner Valerie Davidson is granting Providence Hospital in Anchorage permission to build eight new emergency room beds. That's fewer than the hospital was hoping for. Providence submitted plans to build 14 new rooms, 10 that would have focused on pediatric patients.
Report: Alaska Heroin Use is Skyrocketing
A new report from the state health department shows a dramatic rise in heroin use in Alaska. The number of hospitalizations for heroin related causes nearly doubled in the state from 2008 to 2012.
Download Audio: