• Save the Date! Upcoming Health Fairs
• Know Your Benefits: Free Nurse Advice Line
• Keep Up-to-Date with News from the AlaskaCare Health Plan
• Retiree Health Plan Advisory Board
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Health Benefit Contact Information

The Pacific Health Coalition’s Health Fair is back and offering five locations this year. In partnership with AlaskaCare, plan participants will have easy access to flu shots as well as convenient blood screening, prostate-specific antigen testing, thyroid, and vitamin D testing, as well as other preventive care services at reduced rates. Preventative care lab tests are available to adults 18 years and over, screenings like these can help detect potential problems early on.

Space is limited at each health fair location, and they fill up fast! You must pre-register in order to attend. Mark your calendar, pre-registration opens on August 7, 2019! 

• Fairbanks, Carlson Center
  September 21-22, 2019
  
  
• Palmer, Mat-Su Regional Medical Center
  September 21, 2019
  
  
• Soldotna, Central Peninsula Hospital
  October 19, 2019
  
  
• Juneau, Centennial Hall
  October 20, 2019
  
  
• Anchorage, Ted Stevens International Airport
  November 2-3, 2019

Do you have lingering questions about your health? Call the nurse advice line anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at no cost to you. The nurse advice line can be a helpful resource in considering options for care.

A nurse can help you with:

• Deciding whether to visit a doctor or urgent care center
• Understanding your symptoms
• Managing chronic conditions
• Treatment options and medical procedures

Call the nurse advice line anytime to discuss any health concerns at (800) 556-1555.

Join Us for Future Town Hall Events

Town Hall Events are group calls hosted by the Alaska Department of Administration, Division of Retirement and Benefits for all interested AlaskaCare retirees and families to ask questions about the AlaskaCare health plans. You can join the call to learn more about your health plan and ask Division staff any questions you have about your benefits. This format gives retirees a chance to connect directly with Division staff to hear the latest news on all things AlaskaCare, raise questions, share comments, and learn more about the health plans. Pre-register now online.

Subscribe to the Monthly Retiree Health Plan Newsletter Retiree newsletters are sent electronically to Health Plan members that have subscribed to receive updates. You can subscribe or unsubscribe at any time by managing your preferences here.

The Retiree Health Plan Advisory Board (RHPAB) is tasked with facilitating engagement and communication among the Commissioner of Administration, the Division of Retirement and Benefits, and the community of AlaskaCare retirees. The seven-member board helps represent you, the members of the AlaskaCare Retiree Health Plan. The board consists of representatives from the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS), Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS), political subdivisions participating in the State’s retirement systems, the Alaska Retirement Management Board (ARMB), and the public.

Members of the public are always welcome to attend and observe the meeting or listen in via phone. Each RHPAB board meeting includes time on the agenda for public comment. Written comments may be submitted to the board at AlaskaRHPAB@alaska.gov. To ensure your comments are included in the agenda, please submit them at least thirty days in advance.

The next Quarterly Retiree Health Plan Advisory Board Meeting: August 7, 2019

The agenda will include updates and in-depth discussion about the modernization project—a collection of initiatives and proposed changes to the health plan under consideration by the Division to provide updated and improved benefits for all retirees. Once available, meeting materials will be posted to the Retiree Health Plan Advisory Board website.

We update our FAQs regularly. Please keep checking back for new information! Here are some recently asked questions:

• I received a letter from OptumRx asking me to confirm my enrollment in the AlaskaCare Retiree Medicare Prescription Drug Plan within 30 days. The bottom of the letter has this document code: S8841_19_EXH-5_AKC. What should I do next?
  • You received this letter because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS or Medicare) indicated that you have alternative prescription drug coverage under another plan that may be receiving subsidies from Medicare for providing that coverage. We encourage members to confirm enrollment in the AlaskaCare Retiree Medicare Prescription Drug Plan by calling OptumRx at (855) 235-1405. If you do not confirm your enrollment or choose not to participate in the AlaskaCare Retiree Medicare Prescription Drug Plan, you will be placed into the opt-out prescription drug program. This is highly discouraged, as it will result in higher costs for you and for the health plan. Please see section 1.2.2 of the AlaskaCare Retiree Insurance Information Booklet for more information on the opt-out benefit.
    
    
• Do prescriptions count toward the 2 million lifetime cap?
  • The 2 million lifetime cap does not apply to pharmacy benefits. Medication provided in an inpatient setting are considered a medical benefit and would apply to the lifetime cap.

Health Benefit Contact Information

Division of Retirement and Benefits
DRB Call Center: (907) 465-4460 |Toll Free: (800) 821-2251

Medical Benefits: Aetna
Member Services: (855) 784-8646

Long Term Care Benefits: CHCS Services, Inc.
Member Services: (888) 287-7116

Dental Benefits: Moda/Delta Dental
Member Services: (855) 718-1768

Pharmacy Benefits: OptumRx
Member Services: (855) 409-6999

Specialty Pharmacy: BriovaRx
Enrollment Services: (855) 427-4682