Alaska Department of Health

USDA proposes rules for Alaska's SNAP work-limit reprieve, which must end by 2028

USDA proposed rules for Alaska's SNAP work-limit reprieve, which by law ends by 2028. The state says its old eligibility system is one reason it needs it.

by Bill AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read

Follows: USDA proposal could undo Alaska's SNAP eligibility expansion

About 775 noncitizens lose full Alaska Medicaid, and just over half are children

About 775 refugees, asylees and other noncitizens lost full Alaska Medicaid coverage as of Oct. 1 under a new federal law. Just over 400 are children.

by Walter AlaskaNews2d ago3 min read

Fewer Alaskans smoke, but 1 in 4 adults still use tobacco or nicotine, state says

Far fewer Alaska adults smoke than in 1997, but about 1 in 4 still use tobacco or nicotine. The state is pitching its Quit Line before the Nov. 19 Smokeout.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Waiver holding off SNAP's work time limit outside Anchorage now runs to October 2027

The waiver keeping SNAP's work time limit off outside Anchorage now runs through Oct. 31, 2027, a year past the date the state listed in September.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

State says 12,850 Alaskans on Medicaid would need to prove they meet work rules

About 12,850 Alaskans on Medicaid would have to send proof they meet new federal work rules to keep their coverage, the state health department estimates.

by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read

Alaska's child care aid system goes offline this weekend ahead of Dec. 1 changes

Alaska's child care assistance system goes dark this weekend so the state can get it ready for Dec. 1, when more working families qualify for help.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Alaska starts a statewide network to make walking and biking to school safer

The state is starting a statewide group to help Alaska kids walk and bike to school more safely, winter and all. Parents, teachers and planners are welcome.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read

Alaska trains addiction providers on new treatment guidelines it plans to adopt

Alaska's behavioral health rules have cited 2013 addiction care guidelines. The state is training providers on the 2023 update, including on Nov. 12.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Federal money would put portable X-ray units in Northwest Arctic village clinics

Maniilaq Association is set to get $218,964 to put portable X-ray units in Northwest Arctic village clinics, aiming to cut patient flights out for imaging.

by Alaska News3w ago3 min read

Alaska, last in medical residency slots, plans $6.4 million for doctor training

Alaska ranks last among states in slots for training new doctors. The state is steering about $6.4 million in federal rural health money to residencies.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Alaska faces $45 million SNAP bill unless error rate drops below 6%, commissioner says

Alaska's health commissioner says the state has until year's end to cut its SNAP error rate from 20% to under 6%, or the next governor gets a $45 million bill.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Whooping cough shots cut young kids’ odds of getting sick by 96%, state says

During Alaska's record whooping cough outbreak, young kids with at least three shots were about 96% less likely to get a confirmed case, a state study found.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read

Alaska sets final rules for $75 million in rural health grants, due Oct. 28

Alaska has $75 million in rural health grants to hand out this fall. Last round, applicants asked for about nine times what was available. Due Oct. 28.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago1 min read

Follows: Alaska will score rural health grant applications on cost-effectiveness

State seeks consultant to design first formula for infant learning program money

Alaska is hiring a contractor to design its first structured formula for dividing Infant Learning Program grants among 15 regional programs, with a $200,000 contract and Oct. 28 proposal deadline.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 7

Alaska's fall round of rural health transformation money will be smaller and exclude renovations, Hedberg says

Alaska's next round of federal rural health money will be smaller and won't cover renovations. Applications are due Oct. 28. Double-check the time.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska launches online renewals for SNAP, Medicaid and four other programs

Alaskans can now renew SNAP, Medicaid and four other benefits online instead of filling out the paper form. Paper still works, just don't do both.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska EMS clinicians face fingerprint background check deadlines in 2027 and 2028

Alaska EMS clinicians will need fingerprint background checks under a new state law. EMT-1s have until the end of 2027; everyone else, March 2028.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska opens $75 million rural health grant round before scoring rules are final

Alaska is taking applications for $75 million in rural health grants under scoring rules that won't be final until two weeks before the deadline.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Sep 30

Follows: Alaska will score rural health grant applications on cost-effectiveness

Alaska proposes Medicaid coverage of traditional healing through Tribal health programs

Alaska seeks federal approval to cover traditional healing through Tribal health programs under Medicaid starting in 2028, with public comment due Nov. 4.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau clinics join federal program requiring 24-hour crisis care

Clinics in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Juneau joined a federal Medicaid program Oct. 1 that requires 24-hour crisis care and serving people who can't pay.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom Oct 1

Alaska Medicaid sets $989.83 daily rate for specialized homes serving people with complex disabilities

Alaska Medicaid now pays $989.83 a day for specialized homes caring for people with complex disabilities, up from an interim $870, under rules effective Oct. 2.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Alaska adopts Medicaid rules for specialized group home and family home habilitation

State offers free fingerprinting for Anchorage child care workers' background checks

Anchorage child care workers can now get their required fingerprints taken free at a state office. The rest of the background check still costs money.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska classrooms can enter state's Red Ribbon Week door decorating contest through Oct. 31

Alaska classrooms can decorate a door for Red Ribbon Week and enter the state's contest by Oct. 31. This year's theme celebrates everyday heroes.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Maximum SNAP food benefits in Alaska rise about 1.6% starting Thursday, with rural areas highest

Alaska's SNAP maximums rise about 1.6% Thursday. A rural family of four can now get up to $2,027 a month, though actual benefits depend on income.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read

Fairbanks Memorial gets $3 million toward first inpatient psychiatric unit for teens in Interior Alaska

Interior Alaska teens who need inpatient psychiatric care must leave the region. A $3 million federal grant will help Fairbanks Memorial build a four-bed unit.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Fairbanks residential mental health center to add six rooms with $1.95 million federal grant

A Fairbanks residential mental health center will add six private rooms, a kitchen and gathering space with a $1.95 million earmark requested by Murkowski.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Petersburg hospital CEO and board member differ on how federal budget law will affect Medicaid

Petersburg's hospital CEO told his board the federal budget law mostly adds paperwork for the state. A board member called it major Medicaid cuts.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Bethel police warn residents not to shoot suspected rabid animals in the head

Bethel police warn residents to avoid shooting suspected rabid animals in the head, since brain tissue is needed to confirm the disease. Two foxes in Bethel tested positive for rabies in February.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Togiak man, 19, dies after ATV hits shipping container

Tyler Lee Maines, 19, of Togiak died early Friday when the ATV he was driving hit a shipping container, troopers said. The investigation is continuing.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Summit on Aging attendees can book one-on-one time with state health leaders

Going to next month's Summit on Aging? You can book 15 minutes with state health leaders. Alaskans 65 and older get in free, but everyone has to register.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Mat-Su Regional gets $5 million in federal rural health money for a neonatal intensive care unit

Mat-Su Regional Medical Center gets $5 million in federal rural health money for a neonatal intensive care unit meant to keep more newborns out of Anchorage.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Alaska rural health notices pass $239 million with $30 million round

Federal report puts Alaska's maternal death rate above the national rate but warns the count is small

Alaska's maternal death rate ran above the national rate in a new federal report, but it rests on 17 deaths and the report itself says to read it with caution.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska health officials warn concentrated kratom products can cause overdoses drug tests miss

Kratom gummies and shots can cause opioid-like overdoses that drug tests miss. Alaska ER visits tied to kratom already top last year's total.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska has five weeks to commit $33 million in federal rural health money

Alaska has about $33 million in federal rural health money left to hand out, and five weeks to do it. There are no extensions, the feds say.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Alaska will score rural health grant applications on cost-effectiveness

Alaska will score rural health grant applications on cost for the first time, and will post the final rules halfway through the window to apply.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Follows: Alaska streamlines the fall round of its $272 million rural health fund

Alaska takes final 2026 public input Wednesday on child care grant rules

Alaska's child care office wraps up its year of public sessions Wednesday with one on the grant program that pays licensed providers.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska rural health notices pass $239 million with $30 million round

Alaska sent out $30 million more in rural health awards this week, funding a Girdwood telepharmacy, a Norton Sound scheduling hub and rural X-ray machines.

by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read

Follows: Alaska adds $16.8 million in rural health awards without naming who gets the money

Summit on Aging offers 15-minute one-on-one slots with Alaska health leaders

Alaska's aging summit runs Oct. 15 to 17 in Anchorage, and you can book 15 minutes to tell state health leadership exactly what you think.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Follows: Alaska seniors get free Summit on Aging seats, but must register in advance

Alaska leads the country in elder fraud complaints

Alaska led the country per capita in elder fraud complaints in 2024. Older Alaskans lost $8.17 million, most of it to fake tech support calls.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read

Alaska proposes to drop its $190.50 newborn screening fee and set the charge by a formula

Alaska proposes calculating newborn screening fees by formula instead of a fixed charge, with written comments due by November 2.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read