Alaska health insurance Marketplace guide

Here are the eligibility requirements for health coverage through the Marketplace in Alaska:⁹

• You must live in Alaska.
• You must be lawfully present in the U.S.
• You must not be incarcerated.
• You must not be enrolled in Medicare.

Although most Alaska residents are thus eligible to use the Marketplace, eligibility for financial assistance (premium subsidies and cost-sharing reductions) has stricter rules. It depends on your income and how it compares with the cost of the second-lowest-cost Silver plan in your area – which depends on your age and location. In addition, to qualify for Marketplace financial assistance you must:

• Not have access to affordable health coverage offered by an employer. If your employer offers coverage but you feel it’s too expensive, you can use our Employer Health Plan Affordability Calculator to see if you might qualify for premium subsidies in the Marketplace.
• Not be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP.
• Not be eligible for premium-free Medicare Part A.¹⁰
• If you’re married, you must file a joint tax return with your spouse.¹¹ (with very limited exceptions)¹²
• Not be able to be claimed by someone else as a tax dependent.¹³

For 2026 coverage, the open enrollment window in Alaska ended on January 15, 2026.⁹

The open enrollment period will be shorter, however, starting in the fall of 2026. The enrollment window will end December 15, and all plans selected during open enrollment will take effect January 1. So there will no longer be an option to enroll in coverage in late December or early January, and there will no longer be an option to get a February 1 effective date during open enrollment.

You can still make plan changes or enroll in the Marketplace beyond the open enrollment window. However, you must qualify for a special enrollment period (SEP). SEPs generally require a qualifying life event, such as losing your health coverage involuntarily or gaining a dependent.

But American Indians and Alaska Natives can enroll anytime, without a specific qualifying life event.¹⁴

To enroll in an Alaska Marketplace health plan, you can:

• Go to HealthCare.gov online – the ACA exchange website.
• Dial the Marketplace Call Center at (800) 318-2596.
• Contact an agent/broker, navigator, or certified application counselor.
• Enroll via an approved enhanced direct enrollment entity.¹⁵

Go to localhelp.HealthCare.gov to find a navigator, certified application counselor, or agent in your area. 

You can find affordable health insurance in Alaska by shopping on the ACA Marketplace/exchange (HealthCare.gov).

Depending on your income and circumstances, you may qualify for income-based subsidies called Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTC) under the ACA. These credits will reduce the amount you have to pay in premiums each month.

During the open enrollment period for 2026 coverage, 74% of Alaska Marketplace enrollees were eligible for premium subsidies. The average subsidy amount was $947/month, reducing the average subsidy-eligible enrollee’s net premium to $114/month.¹

Source: CMS.gov¹⁶

Another way to save money while using the Alaska exchange is cost-sharing reductions (CSR).¹⁷ You can qualify for CSR if your income is no more than 250% of the prior year’s federal poverty level and you enroll in a Silver-level plan.¹⁸

For 2026 coverage, 250% of FPL in Alaska is $48,875 for a single individual and $100,475 for a household of four (note that the FPL numbers are higher in Alaska than they are in the continental United States).¹⁹

Alaska Natives and American Indians qualify for a special version of CSR — with no out-of-pocket costs — if their household income isn’t more than 300% of the federal poverty level. Unlike regular CSR, which is only available on Silver-level plans, the CSR for Alaska Natives and American Indians is available on any metal-level plan.¹⁴

If you’re not eligible for Marketplace subsidies, other ways to obtain affordable coverage include:

• Apply for Medicaid if you’re eligible: You can begin the enrollment process through HealthCare.gov (you’ll be directed to the state Medicaid program if it appears you’re eligible) or my.alaska.gov. Our Alaska Medicaid eligibility guide walks you through the details of Medicaid eligibility in Alaska.
  
• Look into short-term health insurance: If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, at least one insurer in Alaska offers temporary short-term health insurance plans. However, these plans are not regulated by the ACA and subsidies are not available to offset their cost. 

Two insurance companies offer plans for 2026 in Alaska’s health insurance Marketplace:²⁰

• Moda Assurance Company
• Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska

Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska offers coverage statewide in 2026, while Moda Assurance offers plans in the Municipality of Anchorage, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Kenai Peninsula Borough, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and Southeast Alaska.²⁰

The following average rate changes were approved for Alaska’s Marketplace insurers for 2026, calculated before premium subsidies are applied:

Source: RateReview.HealthCare.gov²¹

Nationwide, the average pre-subsidy rate increase for 2026 was more than 25%,²² so Alaska is very much an outlier, as the only state where average full price premiums decreased for 2026 (the overall average was a decrease of 1.1%).²³

However, the federal subsidy enhancements that had been in place since 2021 expired at the end of 2025 after Congress failed to extend them. As a result, the “subsidy cliff” returned, meaning that people with household income above 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL) no longer qualify for subsidies.

In Alaska in 2025, there were 5,787 enrollees with income above 400% of FPL. That was about 20% of the total Marketplace population,²⁴ none of whom were able to keep their subsidies in 2026 if their income remained over 400% FPL. So it’s not surprising that the number of Alaska enrollees with income over 400% of the FPL dropped to 3,868 in 2026.²⁵

Premiums increased sharply for those enrollees, as many of them went from receiving a subsidy in 2025 to paying full price in 2026.⁴ And for people who continue to be subsidy-eligible, the subsidies are smaller because Congress failed to extend the subsidy enhancements.

So even though full-price premium changes were quite small in Alaska for 2026, the net premiums that people are paying still increased. Across all enrollees, including those paying full price, the average net premium in the Alaska Marketplace in 2025 was $223/month,²⁶ and that grew to $344/month in 2026.²⁵

For perspective, here’s a look at how average pre-subsidy premiums have changed in Alaska’s individual/family market over the years:

• 2015: Average increase of 31% (largest in the nation)²⁷
• 2016: Average increase of 39%²⁸
• 2017: Average increase of 7.3% (and Moda exited the market)²⁹
• 2018: Average decrease of 22%³⁰ (reinsurance program took effect)
• 2019: Average decrease of 3.9%³¹
• 2020: Average rates unchanged³² (Moda rejoined the market).
• 2021: Average unweighted decrease of 2%³³
• 2022: Average decrease of 3.7%³⁴
• 2023: Average increase of 19.1%³⁵
• 2024: Average increase of 16.4%³⁶
• 2025: Average rate increase of 17.1%³⁷

During open enrollment for 2026 health coverage, 26,079 people signed up for private health plans through Alaska’s exchange.³⁸ This was lower than enrollment had been in 2024 and 2025; you can see previous year enrollments in the chart below.

Prior to 2026, Alaska’s Marketplace enrollment had been steadily increasing since 2020. This growth was due in part to American Rescue Plan subsidy enhancements, which continued through 2025 thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act.³⁹ The expiration of these subsidy enhancements at the end of 2025 was the reason enrollment decreased in 2026, for the first time in several years.

The enrollment growth in 2024 and 2025 was also partly due to the “unwinding” of the pandemic-era Medicaid continuous coverage rule. By April 2024, more than 6,000 Alaska residents had transitioned from Medicaid to a Marketplace plan during the unwinding period.⁴⁰

Source: 2014,⁴¹ 2015, ⁴² 2016,⁴³ 2017,⁴⁴ 2018,⁴⁵ 2019,⁴⁶ 2020,⁴⁷ 2021,⁴⁸ 2022,⁴⁹ 2023,⁵⁰ 2024,⁵¹ 2025⁵² 2026¹

HealthCare.gov
The official federal website where you can sign up for health insurance plans through the ACA Marketplace. 

Denali KidCare
Alaska’s children’s health insurance program. 

United Way of Anchorage
Federally funded Navigator organization to assist with Medicaid and exchange enrollment in Alaska. 

Alaska State Health Insurance Counseling and Assistance Programs (SHIP)
Enrollment counseling and advice to Medicare beneficiaries and their caregivers.

Medicare Rights Center
A national service for Medicare-related questions.

Alaska Comprehensive Health Insurance Association
Created by the Alaska State Legislature to provide coverage for residents unable to obtain individual health insurance.