If you have a dependent that will be graduating from college, remember to notify the Division of Retirement and Benefits of their change in status. You should also notify the Division if you need to add or remove dependents due to marriage, divorce, birth, death, or adoption. You can find the Dependent Status Change form on the Division's website.
In accordance with Alaska Statutes 39.35.680(12) and 14.25.220(13):
- If your dependent child is under 23 years old, they are required to be registered at and attending on a full-time basis an accredited educational or technical institution recognized by the Department of Education and Early Development.
- If your dependent child is age 19 or older and is not a full-time student, then the dependent is eligible for coverage only if they are totally and permanently disabled, and the disability was documented prior to their 23rd birthday.
Let us and Aetna know if your dependent child has recently become a full-time student. The AlaskaCare Verification of Student Status Form is available on the AlaskaCare website.
Alaskan adults can join free programs to lose weight, lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar and/or stop smoking or vaping. Many programs match you with a coach so you don’t have to do it alone. These programs can be completed online or over the phone and at your pace—wherever you are.
For Weight Management, Omada runs Alaska's 12-month free program to lose weight or prevent diabetes. Hundreds of participating Alaskans have lost more than 10,600 pounds in total. After being matched with a coach for support, you can create a plan to improve sleep, move more, eat healthier, lower blood sugar, and manage stress. This program is all online so you can do it from wherever you are. You receive weekly online lessons, and may be eligible for a free bathroom scale.
Click here to check if you're eligible. Don't worry when the enrollment form asks if you have an employer or insurance. In Alaska, the program is free for all eligible adults.
All information you enter on an enrollment form is confidential. It will not be shared with anyone outside the health program, including with State of Alaska staff.
You can also join programs to lower your blood sugar to manage diabetes as well as lower your blood pressure. Like the above program, you are matched with a coach and other participants for support. You work with a certified specialist. It's all online, and you may be eligible to receive a free blood sugar monitor and blood pressure cuff. Alaska also offers in-person programs to prevent diabetes, but only in select communities and some programs come with a cost. You can find out more about those in-person programs online.
Fresh Start also offers programs online and by phone to stop smoking, vaping and chewing tobacco. Alaska's Tobacco Quit Line can help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Thousands of Alaskans have signed up over the years to help them quit for good. You don't have to quit alone. This service provides free quit coaching over the phone or online. You can get free nicotine replacement therapy, like patches, lozenges, and gum. You can call the Quit Line as many times as it takes to quit.
Learn more or sign up by:
- Calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669)
- Texting READY to 34191
- Visiting AlaskaQuitLine.com
Thousands of Alaskans have joined these available programs. Are you ready? Visit the Fresh Start website here. Contact doh.freshstart@alaska.gov with questions
Managing your weight contributes to good health now and as you age. In contrast, obesity can lead to serious health problems including type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Consuming a variety of healthy food is better than eliminating one type of food such as carbohydrates. If you reduce the variety of foods you eat, you could exclude vital nutrients or not be able to stay on the eating plan over time.
Physical activity is another key component for maintaining a health weight. How much physical activity you need for overall health depends mostly on your age.
Adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. This can be 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. As an alternative, adults could get 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity each week. Adults also need at least 2 days a week of muscle-strengthening activities.
Adults 65 and older need at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking, and at least 2 days a week of activities that strengthen muscles.
People who are physically active can still gain weight if they take in more calories than they use. Healthy lifestyles include being physically active, being mindful of calories, and ensuring adequate nutrition.
Getting enough sleep can help you manage your body weight. Other factors that contribute to overweight and obesity include age, medications, medical conditions, genes, and environmental factors.
As people age, their body composition gradually shifts—the proportion of muscle decreases and the proportion of fat increases. This shift slows their metabolism, making it easier to gain weight. In addition, some people become less physically active as they get older, increasing the risk of weight gain.
Diseases such as Cushing's disease and polycystic ovary syndrome may lead to weight gain or obesity. Drugs such as steroids and some antidepressants may also cause weight gain.
Genes can directly cause obesity in specific, single-gene disorders, such as Bardet-Biedl syndrome and Prader-Willi syndrome. However, multiple genes often interact with environmental factors to affect health.
Environmental factors can make it harder to eat healthy or be physically active. Examples include limited access to healthier foods or places to be physically active, such as sidewalks. The presence of certain chemicals in the environment may also affect weight.
Your health care provider is the best person to ask whether illnesses or medications are contributing to weight gain or making weight loss hard.
What is an IRMAA? Certain high-income retirees are required to pay an extra premium surcharge, known as an Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, or IRMAA. This is similar to the surcharge for high-income enrollees in the Medicare Part B plan. If you are an individual or a married couple earning more than the threshold, you will be required to pay an extra surcharge for being enrolled in the AlaskaCare Employer Group Waiver Program (EGWP) because it is a group Medicare Part D plan. Retirees whose household income is below this threshold will not be subject to the IRMAA premium surcharge.
What do you need to know?
- You need to set up your HRA account every year, since IRMAA surcharges are based on your annual income and your income may change from year to year.
- If you are not assessed a Part D IRMAA surcharge, this does not apply to you.
- To receive the reimbursement, you should submit your claim and letter as soon as possible, but no later than 12 months after the last day of the current year. For example: The deadline for submitting your 2024 IRMAA for reimbursement is December 31, 2025.
How do I know if I have to pay a Part D IRMAA surcharge in 2025?
Each year, if you are Medicare-eligible, you will be notified by the Social Security Administration about your plan. This includes if you are required to pay an IRMAA and at what amount. The Social Security Administration uses your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) to determine if the IRMAA applies to you and, if so, how much you will have to pay. MAGI is the sum of:
- Adjusted Gross Income (AGI), which can be found on the last line your IRS 1040 tax form (line 37 on form 1040, line 21 on form 1040A, or line 4 on form 1040EZ), plus
- Any tax-exempt interest income (line 8b on form 1040).
The Social Security Administration requests income information from the IRS for the tax year that is two years prior to the surcharge year. IRMAA is automatically re-determined each year as long as you file an income tax return.
How to Set Up Your IRMAA Reimbursement with Optum Rx:
Once you have your letter from Social Security or a Medicare Bill that shows your 2024 Part D IRMAA surcharge, you can submit your reimbursement request by following the instructions below. You may submit your documents early to OptumRx if you have them available, but claims received prior to January will not be processed until the start of the new year.
Follow these steps to establish your 2025 IRMAA HRA account online:
- Register and/or log in to your Optum Rx.com account either online or through the mobile app.
- Navigate to the AlaskaCare IRMAA Reimbursement Form by taking the following steps:
- On the top of the main page, click the "Information Center" tab.
- Click "Programs and Forms".
- Click on the "AlaskaCare IRMAA Reimbursement" section. There you will find the digital enrollment form as well as the paper version.
- To submit your reimbursement request digitally (the faster method), click and submit the IRMAA HRA Digital Enrollment Form.
- Upload as an attachment, a copy or image of your letter from Social Security or a Medicare Bill that shows what your Part D IRMAA surcharge is.
- Optum Rx will confirm your eligibility and set up your Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) with Optum Bank within 5 to 7 business days of receipt.
- Once your HRA has been set up with Optum Bank, they will send you a Welcome Packet within 5 to 7 business days, which will include information on signing up for Direct Deposit.
- If you currently have Direct Deposit set up with Optum Bank, that information does not need to be submitted again.
- Once you receive your Welcome Packet, log in to OptumBank.com to view your HRA account status/balance or to sign up for Direct Deposit.
If you have any questions on how to submit your documents online or if you do not have internet access and would like to submit paper documentation, please contact OptumRx at (855) 409-6999.
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