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Why is Alaska healthcare so expensive? | Line One

Application for Medicaid for Alaska Residents.
Rachel Cassandra
/
Alaska Public Media
Application for Medicaid for Alaska Residents.

Health is incredibly personal and healthcare can be incredibly expensive. Patients, providers, policy makers and the public are all frustrated and often angry at the system, a person, a group of people or a policy in which they see as the problem. But as was famously said, health care policy is complex, but we can’t let that complexity keep us from tackling both small and big problems to improve our health. After all, healthy economies are built with healthy people. On this Line One, we look at the economics behind our health care challenges and hear first-hand reporting on why Alaska's premiums are so high.

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Why is Alaska healthcare so expensive? | Line One
We look at the economics behind our health care challenges and hear first-hand reporting on why Alaska's premiums are so high.
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HOST: Dr. Anne Zink

GUESTS:

  • Jim Rebitzer - Economist and co-author, Why Not Better and Cheaper?
  • Nat Herz - Independent Alaska journalist, publisher and owner, The Northern Journal

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Line One's Favorite Health and Science Links:

Dr. Zink became the State of Alaska’s Chief Medical Officer in July 2019 and served through 2024. She and her team led Alaska and the 229 federally recognized tribes through the COVID-19 pandemic. She also served as president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers (ASTHO).
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