Tag: medicaid

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Advocates’ panel warns federal changes could deepen strain on Alaska’s Medicaid system

shot of medicaid insurance card

NOTN- A community panel will gather today at Centennial Hall to discuss sweeping federal health care changes that could significantly affect Alaskans’ access to coverage.

The event, hosted by AK Advocates, will run from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will focus on the impact of recent federal legislation on Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace.

Medicaid is a state and federal partnership that provides health care to people who do not have the income to purchase their own health insurance.

Panelists said Alaska faces unique challenges because of its high costs and limited workforce. The new federal law requires Medicaid eligibility checks every six months instead of annually, adds work requirements for recipients, and lets temporary premium tax credits for Marketplace plans expire at the end of 2025.

“We are a very expensive state to provide healthcare in, said Kim Champney, executive director of the Alaska Association on Developmental Disabilities, “you have to travel to see specialists, workforce is very limited, so our state has really struggled, I think, to keep up with the cost of Medicaid.”

In Alaska, where the Division of Public Assistance is still struggling with post-pandemic backlogs in food stamp and Medicaid processing, officials warn the added workload could further strain the system.

“These policy changes are going to result in fewer people having health insurance,” said Teri Tibbett, the panel’s coordinator and moderator, “So what are we as a community, what are we going to do when we have so many people that are going to be uninsured, the people who are going to not have Medicaid anymore, the people that are not going to have health insurance through the Marketplace? What are we going to do as a community to help those folks get their health care?”

Anton Rieselbach, a program associate with the Juneau Economic Development Council, warned that ending the expanded tax credits could cause Marketplace premiums to expand. “The big takeaway here is that a lot of individuals are going to see their monthly premium costs balloon significantly, especially those individuals who fall in their income level above 400% of the federal poverty line, essentially, in 2021 the eligibility for premium tax credits was expanded to higher income earners, and that is going away. So a lot of individuals are going to be seeing their premiums balloon by over $1,000 per month, potentially, which is going to have devastating effects on the health care.”

Panelists said they hope the discussion will help Alaskans understand the changes, prepare for rising costs, and organize advocacy efforts. “The bill has passed, we can’t stop that,” Champney said. “Now we can really influence implementation. And so I think talking through that as a community, how do we partner and collaborate and advocate so that we make sure people get what they need.”

The panel is free and open to the public.

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Health insurance will cost more for millions of Americans — especially rural residents

This article is courtesy of Alaska Beacon

By: Shalina Chatlani, States Newsroom

GRUNDY, VIRGINIA – OCTOBER 07: Patients have their blood pressure checked and other vitals taken at a intake triage at a Remote Area Medical (RAM) mobile dental and medical clinic on October 07, 2023 in Grundy, Virginia. More than a thousand people were expected to seek free dental, medical and vision care at the two-day event in the rural and financially struggling area of western Virginia. RAM provides free medical care through mobile clinics in underserved, isolated, or impoverished communities around the country and world. As health care continues to be a contentious issue in America, an estimated 29 million Americans, about one in 10, lack coverage. An estimated 27 million people — or 8.3 percent of the population of America- were uninsured, according to a report from the Census Bureau. This rate is considerably high in rural and poorer parts of the country. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A combination of Trump administration policies will make health care coverage more expensive for people who purchase plans from health insurance marketplaces — and rural residents will be hit the hardest, according to a new analysis.

Researchers from the Century Foundation say Trump administration policies — especially its refusal to ask Congress to extend Biden-era tax credits that are set to expire at the end of this year — will boost out-of-pocket premiums by 93% in the 32 states that allow the federal government to operate their Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces. New rules and tariffs will have a smaller impact.

Rural county residents in those states will see an increase of 107%, while residents of urban counties will pay 89% more, according to the analysis by the Century Foundation, a left-leaning research nonprofit.

Insurers participating in the Affordable Care Act marketplaces are proposing a median premium increase of 18% for 2026 — the biggest jump since 2018 and 11 points more than the growth from 2024 to this year. That bump would come on top of the increase resulting from the expiration of the tax credits and the other policy changes.

About 2.8 million people who are enrolled in marketplace plans in the 32 states live in rural counties, including 776,000 adults between the ages of 55 to 64 and more than 223,000 children, according to the Century Foundation.

“Rural residents tend to be older. They may be more likely to have chronic illness at the same time,” said Jeanne Lambrew, director of health care reform at the foundation. “It costs more, both because they have somewhat greater needs and less access to health care.”

The researchers calculated that average annual premiums for rural residents will increase by $760 — 28% more than the expected average increase for urban residents. States where rural enrollees are expected to see the highest cost increases are Wyoming ($1,943), Alaska ($1,835), and Illinois ($1,700).

Many of the states with a large number of rural residents have chosen not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, meaning many people who earn between 100% and 138% of the federal poverty level, between $15,650 and $21,597 for an individual, get their coverage from an insurance marketplace, Lambrew said.

Of the seven states where 10% or more of rural residents are enrolled in marketplace plans (Alabama, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Wyoming), only two — Nebraska and North Carolina — have expanded Medicaid.

State officials in Pennsylvania recently advised residents who use the marketplace that they should closely examine the plans that are available.

“This year, even more than previous years, Pennsylvanians should consider shopping around to find the best plans to meet their individual needs, at a price that makes sense for their current financial situation,” Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys said in a statement released at the beginning of this month.

Lambrew said the increases will force many people to forgo insurance altogether.

“It’s harmful for those individuals in terms of their own health and life expectancy. It’s harmful for our providers, because they’re now dealing with people who are sicker and in the wrong settings, and it’s kind of expensive for our society,” Lambrew said.

“We know health insurance matters, so having these large potential increases on uninsured Americans is distressing.”

Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org.

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New federal law reshapes Medicaid rules, opens fund for rural health

 The offices of the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services are seen in Juneau on Friday, July 1, 2022. (Photo by Lisa Phu/Alaska Beacon)

A new federal law signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, enacts wide-ranging changes to public policy, including major revisions to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and federal tax laws.

According to officials, Alaska’s Medicaid funding is more stable than other states because Alaska is not subject to some of the structural changes affecting others.

Medicaid is a joint federal and state public health insurance program for people with low incomes, including children, pregnant women, older adults, and individuals with disabilities. 1 in 3 Alaskans are enrolled in Medicaid. While not all enrollees use services every year, about 40% received care in FY25. Most Medicaid enrollees in Alaska are children or adults under the age of 65.

According to current information, the State cannot reliably say how many Alaskans will be affected.

According to the Department of Health, The One Big Beautiful Bill (the bill) establishes new community engagement requirements and requires states to check Medicaid eligibility twice a year for some Medicaid enrollees.

The requirements primarily apply to the Medicaid expansion population – able bodied adults ages 19 to 65 who qualify for Medicaid based on their income.

Many Alaskans will be exempted from the new requirements, making the full impact of the changes complicated to project, they say further analysis is underway.

The bill requires that most able-bodied adults ages 19–64 enrolled through Medicaid expansion must complete 80 hours per month of work or other qualifying activities to qualify for Medicaid coverage. These activities include job training, education, or volunteer service. Individuals must show they met the requirements at least one month before applying and must meet the same requirements when they renew. 

Advocates say individuals who use these programs already work, or are unable to do so, and adding qualifying work requirement paperwork could make it more difficult for recipients to apply.

According to the Department of Health, The bill includes mandatory exemptions for individuals who are:

  • Meet SNAP or TANF work requirements
  • Pregnant or within the postpartum coverage period
  • Alaska Native or American Indian 
  • Have a significant physical, intellectual, or developmental disability 
  • Are blind or disabled
  • Have a substance use disorder or disabling mental health condition
  • Have a serious or complex medical condition 
  • Veterans with a total disability rating
  • Enrolled in Medicare
  • A parents or caregiver for a child under 14 or someone with a disability
  • Recently incarcerated (within 90 days)
  • Under age 26 and formerly in foster care

The Department of Health also notes the creation of the Rural Health Transformation Fund, a $50 billion initiative aimed at improving health care in rural communities across the country.

Funds may be used for a wide variety of activities to improve rural health care, including technology modernization, workforce development, innovative care models, and prevention measures for chronic disease and substance use disorder. 

Officials say the state is “well-positioned” to secure a strong share of those dollars, helping improve access to health care and supporting long-term improvements to health outcomes in underserved areas.

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