Alaska Health Policy Review

Attached is a copy of a press release just issued announcing availability of the Alaska Health Care Commission’s preliminary draft 2009 report for public comment. The draft is available at http://hss.state.ak.us/healthcommission/, and information on how to submit comments is included in the report and in the attached press release.

We are accepting written comments until December 28, 2009, and opportunity for oral testimony at a public hearing is available on:

Monday, December 14, from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at LIOs around the state.

The next face-to-face meeting of the Alaska Health Care Commission has been set for Friday, January 8. It will be held in Anchorage at the Frontier Building (3601 C Street) and a teleconference number will be provided for those outside of Anchorage. The purpose of this meeting will be to finalize the report based on public comment received on the draft. The Commission’s report is due to the Governor and the Legislature January 15. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Alaska, Of interest

With the debate underway in the Senate, many American families are beginning to feel hope that the overhaul our system needs is closer than ever. The need for reform remains apparent as many Americans  lose their health insurance on December 1 as the COBRA subsidies expire. Families USA has come out with a special report highlighting this devastating trend:

Expiration of COBRA Subsidy: Millions of Uninsured Workers and Their Dependents Are at Risk; Many Will Lose Their Subsidy as of December 1, 2009

In February 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was signed into law. One important effect of this law was that it provided recently laid off workers with a health insurance subsidy to help them cover the excessive cost of their COBRA insurance plans. This temporary subsidy is set to expire as of December 1, 2009, and as Families USA shows in their report, many Americans will lose their subsidy and as a result their health insurance.

The loss of these subsidies will be severe: Unemployed families could see their premiums increase from $389 to $1,111 per month. An average monthly premium could consume 83.4% of the average unemployment paycheck, leaving little to survive on.

This report highlights the importance of extending this temporary subsidy, but even more so it demonstrates the desperate need to reform our health care system. A reformed system would not make families dependent on COBRA and would offer them a new, permanent source of help.

Go here to read the full report and see state level data

Thank you,

Jessica Larochelle
Field Director
Families USA

[Source: Families USA]

Filed under: Alaska, Of interest