DHSS Commissioner Looking at Arkansas Health Plan

Alaska's health commissioner is looking at whether Arkansas has a health care solution that might work here.

Arkansas wants to use Medicaid expansion money under the federal health care law to enroll people in private plans on its health insurance exchange. Instead of enrolling low-income, uninsured people in Medicaid, Arkansas would buy them insurance plans on that state's health insurance exchange.

Bill Streur, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Social Services, tells APRN that makes sense.

Streur hasn't spoken with Gov. Sean Parnell about the idea. Parnell has resisted expanding Medicaid under the health care law but has said his next decision point would come when he submits his budget in December.

Streur says Arkansas' plan addresses Parnell's concern that expansion would leave Alaska vulnerable to paying huge sums for the Medicaid program.