ANCHORAGE: Tens of thousands of Alaskans are benefiting from reforms in the Affordable Care Act. Several of the law’s major reforms have been in place long before the start of the open enrollment period which has been impeded by Governor Parnell’s rejection of Medicaid.

These reforms include the end of insurance companies being able to charge women more than men for health insurance, the end of denying Alaskans health insurance based on pre-existing conditions, the extension of health coverage to young adults, limits on bureaucratic waste by insurance companies, and closure of the Medicare Part D “donut hole.”

In addition, the Affordable Care Act has provided significant benefits to Alaskans through the permanent authorization of the Indian Health Service and significantly expanded funding for community health centers.

Alaskans Benefiting from the Affordable Care Act:

• Coverage for Young Adults — 9,000 young adult Alaskans have gained health insurance because they can now stay on their parents’ health plans until age 26.
• Preventative Care Coverage — 164,000 Alaskans on private insurance have gained coverage for at least one free preventive health care service such as a mammogram, birth control, or an immunization in 2011 and 2012. In the first eleven months of 2013 alone, an additional 41,000 people with Medicare have received at least one preventive service at no out of pocket cost.
• No More Pre-Existing Conditions — Some 43,000 Alaskans with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, cancer, or diabetes will no longer have to worry about being denied coverage or charged higher prices because of their health status or history.
• Mental Health Coverage — Approximately 156,000 Alaskans have gained expanded mental health and substance use disorder benefits.
• Health Care Rebates — 12,300 Alaska consumers have received rebates from insurance companies averaging $190 per family. These rebates are designed to reduce bureaucratic waste by insurance companies.
• Prescription Drug Savings — 2,000 Alaska seniors and people with disabilities have saved on average $877 on prescription medications as the health care law closes the Medicare Part D “donut hole.”
• No Lifetime Caps — Alaskans no longer have to worry about having their health benefits cut off after they reach a lifetime limit on benefits, and starting in January, 237,000 Alaskans will no longer have to worry about annual limits, either.
• Expanded Health Centers — Alaska community health centers have received $67,576,000 to provide primary care, establish new sites, and renovate existing centers to expand access to quality health care. Alaska has approximately 170 health center sites, which served about 99,000 individuals in 2012.

Alaskans who wish to obtain health coverage effective on January 1^st must enroll by December 23^rd. United Way and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium are “navigators” that can help consumers explore health care options, and a range of private companies such as Enroll Alaska also are helping sign up consumers. Alaskans using the health care exchange are finding affordable plans.