The Alaska Department of Health is currently analyzing the implications of President Donald Trump’s newly passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act on the state’s Medicaid program.
State officials have expressed uncertainty regarding the number of Alaskans who may lose their coverage or the overall reduction in federal health care funding resulting from this legislation.
On Monday, the Department of Health released a document to the Anchorage Daily News suggesting that the bill could potentially decrease Medicaid spending in Alaska by an alarming $300 million to $500 million annually.
However, this estimate was promptly retracted on Wednesday.
A spokesperson clarified that the previous figure was inaccurately calculated and described it as “not correct at all.”
“Unfortunately, some of the information it contained was based on national models that had not yet been updated and did not account for the final version of the bill passed by the Senate,” stated Communications Director Shirley Sakaye.
Emily Ricci, the deputy health commissioner overseeing Alaska’s Medicaid program, elaborated in an interview that the earlier estimates failed to consider specific exemptions for many Alaskans.
These exemptions were added to the bill by the state’s congressional delegation in the final stages before its passage, according to Ricci.
“There’s a lot of research that we have to do on our end to really think about how these exemptions that are in the bill align with our Medicaid population and what our projections are,” Ricci noted.
A significant feature of the bill is the introduction of “community engagement requirements” for able-bodied Medicaid recipients between ages 18 to 64.
These requirements mandate that recipients must work, volunteer, or study for at least 80 hours every month.
Advocates for Medicaid recipients have voiced concerns that these new conditions could lead to some individuals being removed from the program due to the increased complexity of applying for benefits.
In response to these concerns, Ricci mentioned that the state plans to pursue waivers that would delay the enforcement of work requirements until 2029.
Additionally, the Department of Health is slated to implement an
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