High-Risk Pools
In 1993, the legislature of the state of Alaska created the Alaska Comprehensive Health Insurance Association (ACHIA) to provide health insurance to high risk individuals who are unable to find or who are denied health insurance coverage in the private market because of a medical condition and to those individuals who have had prior health insurance coverage and meet the federal rules for eligibility. The premium cap for the program is 150 percent of market rate for comparable coverage. The program is financed through subscribers’ premiums and assessments on insurers. At the end of September 2008, about 500 persons were enrolled in the program.
State Specific Strategies
Chronic and Acute Medical Assistance program (CAMA) - CAMA is a state-funded program designed to help needy Alaskans with specific illnesses get the medical care they need to manage those illnesses. It is a program primarily for people age 21 through 64 who do not qualify for Medicaid benefits, have very little income, and have inadequate or no health insurance.
CAMA eligibility is limited to individuals with the following conditions:- Terminal illness
- Cancer requiring chemotherapy
- Chronic diabetes
- Chronic seizure disorder
- Chronic mental illness
- Chronic hypertension
State Profiles
