Healthcare and Medicare Crisis
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2/17/2008
The local NBC station did an extensive news story about the health care crisis here in Anchorage. Health care here, even if you have an insurance plan, is ridiculous. It is tough to even get in to see a doctor. When you do, they often make you sign a form that says they can pretty much charge whatever they want over what your insurance will pay. We paid $1,800.00 over what our insurance would pay for a yearly exam that is pretty standard, and we have some of the best insurance here!
They also found out that no doctors here will take new medicare patients and many are dropping their medicare patients altogether because medicare will not pay them enough. I was curious why many of my customers who were reaching the age of 65 were abruptly moving out of state! Now I know. Some of them did say they could not get the healthcare they needed.
While we just got a new cancer center at Providence Hospital (many with cancer like Susan Butcher had to fly to Seattle or Portland), that doesn't mean that care is going to cost anything reasonable. The Matanuska-Susitna Valley also got a new hospital. One of the biggest problems is that there are no law schools, no medical schools, and no veterinary schools. So, anyone in those fields can charge whatever they pretty much want to or you cannot find anyone to help you.
While we are not of Medicare age yet, it will become a factor in about 10 or 15 years. Will Alaska solve this healthcare crisis by then? I'm not sure.
Lynne | Anchorage, AK