Dr.'s in Anchorage... (Seward: 2013, insurance, place to live)

[undercovermom]

Could someone please let me know what the Dr. situation is like in Anchorage? I am moving from Canada and we have a major Dr. shortage. My husband will have health coverage through work, so will that dictate what Dr. I can use? I'm not familiar with the HMO system in the States, so any comments are appreciated. Also, are there many female Dr.'s in Anchorage - that would be a real bonus for me!

Thanks again.

[BudinAk]

Originally Posted by undercovermom

Could someone please let me know what the Dr. situation is like in Anchorage? I am moving from Canada and we have a major Dr. shortage. My husband will have health coverage through work, so will that dictate what Dr. I can use? I'm not familiar with the HMO system in the States, so any comments are appreciated. Also, are there many female Dr.'s in Anchorage - that would be a real bonus for me!

Thanks again.

There are plenty of doctors, both male and female, in Anchorage. Also, it seems most of the specialists are in Anchorage. We live in Seward, a small town about 100m south of Anchorage, and all we have here are a few general practitioners. Whenever we need to see a specialist, we find one in Anchorage. I think you'll be fine there.

Bud

[insearchof]

Originally Posted by undercovermom

Could someone please let me know what the Dr. situation is like in Anchorage? I am moving from Canada and we have a major Dr. shortage. My husband will have health coverage through work, so will that dictate what Dr. I can use? I'm not familiar with the HMO system in the States, so any comments are appreciated. Also, are there many female Dr.'s in Anchorage - that would be a real bonus for me!

Thanks again.

Luckily, AK does not have an HMO system.
feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to make some suggestions also I realize that this being a public forum you may prefer to ask some one privately

[rotorhead]

Truth be told, you reach the end of the road on medical care pretty quickly even in Anchorage. Anything major or out of the ordinary pretty much guarantees a trip to Seattle or points south.

That said, Alaska market is really too small for the HMOs, so you usually get some variation on a PPO where there aren't many choices. Other than for GPs and primary care docs, pretty much all the specialists are on all the PPO lists and the determining factor is often who can fit you into the schedule first. There are exceptions of course. The PPO lists in most places change so fast they never actually print them, they're all online.

[TC Skier]

I guess I disagree about the kind of care you can get in ANC. Out of the ordinary, perhaps you may need to go out of state. But major, I think you can do that here. Cardiac bypass surgery, taking out a tumor or putting in intravascular brain coils, all pretty major. And all available from excellent docs locally.

I actually think the quality of care in this town is excellent. Freedom from HMO's means that you and your doctor, not someone from your HMO, make decisions about your healthcare. Healthcare is pretty expensive here, but all the docs have to be shipped up by UPS 2nd day air, so with gas prices and all you can see where that might be the case.

For what it is worth, most of the canucks I have met seem to prefer the US system.

Different from an HMO system, there are preferred providers here for Blue Cross and Aetna (maybe some others too) and I think most docs in Anchorage are preferred providers for Blue Cross, but you can still usually see "out of network" providers, you just have to pay a higher percentage of the bill. Likewise for services of differing sorts. They may pay more or less for certain preventive health care or other types of procedures or medications.

[Naturo Doc in Alaska]

Originally Posted by undercovermom

Could someone please let me know what the Dr. situation is like in Anchorage? I am moving from Canada and we have a major Dr. shortage. My husband will have health coverage through work, so will that dictate what Dr. I can use? I'm not familiar with the HMO system in the States, so any comments are appreciated. Also, are there many female Dr.'s in Anchorage - that would be a real bonus for me!

Thanks again.

Hi
I'm a naturopathic doc in Anchorage and there are plaenty of docs here. We have some shortage for specialty's as well as medicare docs, but insurance will get you in the door. My web is drmaddynd.com. The Natural Health Center where I work has a 4 N.D's and a chiro 2 acupuncturists and a bunch of body workers. We work well with mainstream, but I do all the annuals for women and well baby exams as well as treat the sick. You'll find it a nice place to live I hope.
Madeleine

[pgrdr]

Old thread, but in case anyone is looking for similar info: Among the states, compared to Outside medical care is 55% higher - 35% higher for primary care and 80% higher for specialists. Some specialists contain their greed better, while others charge jaw dropping unethical rates. Most medical providers do not join insurance networks so they do not agree to the insurance reimbursement rates. They will submit their charges to the insurance companies and accept their payments, but the patients must pay them the difference between what insurance pays and their charges. It can really add up. BTW, it is the same for most dentists and dental specialists too.

There are specialists but not that many general practitioners. The elderly are having a very hard time finding physicians because most refuse Medicare now for the same reason they refuse to join insurance networks; there are too few of them to create any competition so they don't have to.

Unlike TC Skier, most Canadians I've met do not prefer the U.S. Healthcare system because of cost, and the risk to wallet and health because of it.

[Dakster]

How's Obamacare going to work in AK?

I see that Alaska is part of the network of exchanges. By rading this, it looks like you have health care 'coverage', but not too many people will take the 'plan'.

[AKRaven]

Our governor is opposed to Obama care and hasn't released a study by a DC research firm that was commissioned. Four Democratic state senators recently sent a letter to the Governor on this.

[Dakster]

I looked onine for pricing, just for grins. And prices are pretty steep. ($1000 for silver and $1500 for gold for my family) One of the highest prices I have seen so far. It is a testament to just how expensive medical care in AK is.