Where is the Best Health Insurance in Anchorage?
In Anchorage, Alaska, you have several choices for health insurance, so it is important to know how to find the best plan for you and your family. This involves knowing how to choose as well as knowing what your choices really are.
In Anchorage as it is elsewhere, your best health insurance deal is likely to be that provided by your employer, as group insurance is the least expensive option and has the most benefits. Coming close behind employer group insurance is association group insurance. For these policies you need to be a member of a group that offers health insurance policies.
A well know example is the AARP, with policies offered to any member over the age of 50. Annual dues are quite low and policies are far cheaper than private insurance. Other groups would include clubs and professional organizations who offer this benefit.
Private insurance is your next option if you do not have on the job coverage and are not the member of a qualifying group. You have two options for this in Anchorage and the rest of Alaska, regular insurance and short term policies. Unlike regular policies, short term policies are not guaranteed to be renewable and are only for the stated length of time of the policy.
Short term policies are available through Fortis/Assurant, Golden Rule, GradMed and Premera Blue Cross companies. There are also broker sites that let you compare various short term plans.
Regular private insurance in Alaska is found with Aetna Alaska Care, Celtic, John Alden, MEGA, Fortis/Assurant, Golden Rule, and Premara Blue Cross Blue Shield, to name several. Premiums are set by age and state of health and exclusion riders are permitted.
Those unable to get coverage because of some medical or health excluding condition may be able to get insurance through the State's Alaska Comprehensive Health Insurance Association. This may be the only option for those unable to get private policies.
In all cases, consumers should compare more than just the cost of premiums. It is important to look at the elements of coverage, deductibles, co-payments, and who is included in the provider network to truly compare benefits and costs.
For low income people who cannot afford private insurance and who do not have on the job offerings, the state has the Medicaid program, Denali Kid Care for those 18 and under as well as pregnant women, and CAMA, which covers those with catastrophically high medical expenses.