Alaska Specific Affordable Care Act Requirements as State Law Initiative (2018)
| Alaska Specific Affordable Care Act Requirements as State Law Initiative | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Healthcare | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type State statute | Origin Citizens |
The Alaska Specific Affordable Care Act Requirements as State Law Initiative was not put on the ballot in Alaska as an indirect initiated state statute on November 6, 2018.
The measure would have enacted as state law provisions similar to those found in the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, including:[1]
- prohibiting health insurers from excluding persons with preexisting conditions;
- allowing individuals up to age 26 to remain on their parents' healthcare plan;
- requiring health insurers to provide essential health benefits coverage of (a) ambulatory patient services, (b) emergency services, (c) hospitalization, (d) maternity and newborn care, (e) mental health and substance abuse services, (f) prescription drugs, (g) rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, (h) laboratory services, (i) preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management, and (j) pediatric services, including oral and eye care.
- limiting out-of-pocket expenses for essential health benefits;
- prohibiting lifetime or annual limits on essential health benefits; and
- prohibiting cost-sharing requirements for certain preventive health services.
On December 18, 2017, proponents of the initiative announced that they were suspending signature gathering efforts. They stated, “Instability in national healthcare policy has made it unworkable for the citizen initiatives to be presented to voters in the near-term.”[2]
Text of measure
Full text
The full text of the initiative is available here.
Sponsors
Doctors Alec Glass, George Rhyneer, Megan LeMasters-Soule, and Alan Gross proposed the initiative. The four doctors also proposed the Medicaid and Denali KidCare Expansion Law Initiative.[3]
Alec Glass, one of the sponsoring doctors, said, "This ballot measure will let the population decide, as opposed to going through a sometimes more complicated legislative process. My sense is that the vast majority of Alaskans are supportive of this aspect of the ACA."[3]
Path to the ballot
Citizens of Alaska may initiate legislation through the process of indirect initiative. In Alaska, successful petitions are first presented to the Alaska State Legislature. If the measure or an equivalent measure is not adopted by the state legislature, the proposed law is then placed before voters.
To make the 2018 ballot, initiative supporters were required to collect at least 32,127 valid signatures prior to the start of the legislative session in January 2018.
An application for the initiative was filed with the lieutenant governor on August 4, 2017. On October 2, 2017, Lt. Gov. Bryon Mallott (D) approved the initiative for signature gathering.[4]
On December 18, 2017, proponents of the initiative announced that they were suspending signature gathering efforts. They stated, “Instability in national healthcare policy has made it unworkable for the citizen initiatives to be presented to voters in the near-term.[2]
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Initiative Petition 17QHIA," accessed August 28, 2017
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Juneau Empire, "Two healthcare ballot initiatives for 2018 have been canceled," December 19, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, "Doctors propose ballot initiatives to make aspects of Affordable Care Act state law," August 19, 2017
- ↑ Alaska Division of Elections, "Initiative Petition List," accessed August 28, 2017
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State of Alaska Juneau (capital) |
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