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Community Forum :: Affordable Medical/Dental Care Click here to download a printable version of the Affordable Medical/Dental Care document



Cost & Rates
  • Look at doctor reimbursement in our community - do we make it easy for doctors and dentists to help look for solutions to this issue

  • Work with those paying off debt

  • Regulate prices

  • Deal with insurance that drives costs, charges

  • Cap on liabilities

  • Disallowing advertising of pharmaceuticals - that just increase the cost - was illegal 3 years ago to advertise drugs

  • Federal government help with cost

  • Mental Health cost

  • Better understanding of why health care costs more in the FNSB

  • Increase Medicaid payments for dental care

  • Increase reimbursement rates

  • Barter

Insurance
  • More information on malpractice suits, relationship to insurance

  • Expand Public Health Insurance

  • More dental insurance coverage

  • Young adults' access (have jobs without insurance, low paying jobs) to all care

  • Raise age of kids' eligibility for parents' plan (Cobra) with an option to buy into parents' plan once cut off age is reached

  • Small businesses should pool together to provide/buy health insurance for their employees

  • Statewide insurance cooperative - insurances must recognize holistic medicine

  • Encourage HB315 Health insurance access to state health care system.

  • Pooled insurance plans for small businesses and non profits

  • Support for HB allowing buy into state plan for small businesses/non-profits

  • School District has plan with TVC

  • What about Borough doing one for residents (School District has plan with TVC)

Prevention
  • More emphasis on preventive health care

  • Emphasis on prevention

  • Promoting good health, start young

  • Preventive care for uninsured

  • Encourage preventive/wellness

  • Health screening in schools to include families

  • Denali Kid Care - good - need more options similar to it

  • Active participation in keeping Denali Kid Care at current levels or greater

  • Keep Denali Kid Care

Professionals
  • Train

  • If University of Alaska cannot carry a medical program, coordinate with an institution to send our students with all medical technology classes

  • Raise incentives for doctors to return to Alaska

  • Eliminate restriction on doctors getting licenses

  • Recruit more practitioners to increase access and decrease cost (Board control the number)

  • Find out about high cost of dental care, do dentists not want competition?

  • More dentists

  • United Way send announcements to dental schools to come to Alaska

  • Hold medical & dental conferences in Fairbanks

  • Increase competition/selection

Service
  • Nationwide health care

  • Prescription Assistance programs (income guidelines)

  • Affordable health care for everyone

  • Continue to expand access to a minimal level of care (medical, mental health & dental)

  • Promote pro bono work by the Dental Commission & give tax incentives in return

  • Increase access to affordable medical/dental care

  • Many physicians closed to Medicaid

  • Drug co-op (needs pharmacy license)

  • Keep pressure of US Senators & Representatives to assist with National focus

  • Socialized medicinal

  • Competition for out-patient surgical center to providers

  • Establish another clinic like Urgent Care

  • Expand the services of the Interior Neighborhood Health Clinic (offers affordable care)

Other
  • State licenses for Massage Therapy

  • Market analysis of what is available and eligible

  • Tort reform

  • We have enormous resources - fortunate - top end procedures good (they do not raise prices)

  • Change priority issue to medical/mental health/dental care

  • Start at local level to do away with ads

  • Affects all residents insured or not

  • Feeling of helplessness

  • Local control like welfare to work - what will work for us

  • Encourage holistic medicine practice

Click to access additional Community Forum priorities:
Family Violence | Infrastructure Planning | Job & Career Opportunities | Substance Abuse



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