Health insurance is a crucial form of insurance for all Americans to have as it ensures that they are able to afford quality health care whenever they need it.
While the state of Alaska does not legally require residents to carry health insurance, when an aggressive grizzly gives you a one-way ticket to the emergency room, you’ll wish you had health coverage to help with those hospital bills—because bears don’t often carry liability insurance.
Alaska has plenty of affordable health insurance policies available to support residents in any health crisis. Let this article be your guide to understanding the ins and outs of your health coverage options on The Last Frontier.
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There are several ways to categorize health insurance policies; the first of which is to distinguish between marketplace insurance and government-sponsored insurance.
If a plan is purchased individually through the state health insurance marketplace, then that is a private insurance policy. But if it is federally funded, like Medicare or Medicaid, then that’s a government-sponsored plan.
We’ll walk you through both types of policies, beginning with the government-run ones.
Medicare in Alaska
Medicare is an affordable health insurance plan for seniors over the age of 65, and those under that age who are living with specific disabilities such as End Stage Renal Disease, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS).
Medicaid in Alaska
The second kind of government-sponsored health insurance is Medicaid. This plan offers affordable coverage for Alaskans who have a household income below a certain threshold. Under the Affordable Care Act, Alaska extends eligibility to those whose income is at or below 138% of the federal poverty level.
As of 2023, the federal poverty level for an individual in a single income home is $14,580 annually. Thus, a single person in Alaska making an annual income of $20,120.40 or less is eligible for Medicaid.
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In addition to understanding the structure of health insurance policies, it’s also helpful to know what to expect in terms of pricing. And when it comes to cost, well, we have good news and bad news.
The bad news is that the overall average cost of health insurance in Alaska for 2023 is $699 per month, which is a 17% increase over last year.
The good news, however, is that there are many money-saving actions that you can take to get cheap health insurance in Alaska.
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Your health matters. But so does saving money. These things can coexist thanks to affordable health insurance in Alaska. Setting up great coverage before you need it is key, so that the next time a moose decides to take its anger out on you and your car or you spend a little too long in the cold staring up at the northern lights, you have the health insurance you need.
Ready to explore Alaska health insurance plans? Access to fast, free quotes can be found here. Now go ahead and get back outside; Mother Nature is the best healthcare after all!
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Margaret Huntley Margaret Huntley is a creative writing and philosophy student at Western University. She has been working as a freelance writer for over two years and has written about everything from insurance, to poker, to health and wellness for international businesses.
