A constant issue for Alaskans is higher costs than other states and healthcare is among those steep premiums.
Gubernatorial candidates recently detailed how they would help cut healthcare costs if elected.
Libertarian Carolyn Clift said there need to be more educational opportunities for a wider variety of programs in Alaska.
Clift: “Like health aids, it’s an awesome system where you take people who have a high school degree and you train them in first responder type stuff to do diagnoses and they get on the phone or the computer and they talk to an actual doctor.“
Constitutionalist J.R. Meyers said Alaska needs an expanded provider pool.
Meyers: “Like in the bush they train dental aids and healthcare and village public safety officers. So people don’t have to have the full credentials to perform certain dental or medical services. So there’s different levels like that, that are much more cost effective than bringing a physician in, and also alternative therapies.”
Incumbent Governor Sean Parnell…
Parnell: “Can work to make sure we have a better economy so that people can afford this. So I pointed in this debate 16,000 new jobs created under my watch. That is the one thing that will help people afford health insurance.“
And Bill Walker…
Walker: “Well I would work with the programs that are available to us. Part of the problem is there are programs available to us that we don’t advantage because we want to be able to stay that partisan side of the fence, be able to cast aspersions on the affordable care act. I was not a fan of the affordable care act, it’s the law of the land today.”