Alaska hospitals have reported an increase in workplace violence over the past year, including assaults with a physical injury against care¬ givers, such as being kicked, punched, spit on, or verbally threatened.
I hope you all had a very happy Thanksgiving! And I hope that you were able to spend quality time with friends and family, and took a moment to relax and appreciate the many gifts that life has given us.
I used to do a bit of consumer protection work, and in doing that learned a bit about car selling practices that, if you ever buy a new car, might help you get a more fair deal. In addition, I wanted to pass along some information about enrolling for health insurance before the December 15 deadline.
Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace is open until December 15, 2017. Rates have gone down this year and financial assistance and extra savings are available to many Alaskans who qualify. If you have questions or need assistance with the enrollment process, call 1-844-PLANSAK, or visit www.getcoveredalaska.org.
Greetings from Juneau on this the 7th day of the 4th special session. The governor called the legislature to Juneau to consider his revenue proposal of a 1.5% payroll tax and SB 54, which makes adjustments to the 2016 criminal justice reform effort.
Anchorage – Today, members of the Alaska House Majority Coalition expressed gratitude that the U.S. Senate turned down federal legislation that would take health care away from millions of Americans.
Juneau – Earlier today, the Alaska House of Representative passed legislation to empower consumers by requiring health care providers and facilities to post a list of the prices for the most commonly provided procedures. House Bill 123, sponsored by Representative Ivy Spohnholz, requires health care providers to post health care price information in their public reception areas and online. They would also be required to provide that information to the State of Alaska, which will make it available on the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ website.
Juneau – Today, Representative Ivy Spohnholz (D-Anchorage) introduced legislation to require health care providers and facilities to post the full price of their most common services and procedures. Reporting entities would be required to post health care price information on their premises, online, and to the state.
