Medicare in Alaska runs on federal rules, with free SHIP counseling through the Alaska Medicare Information Office and Medicare Savings Program income limits that run higher than the lower-48 standard because Alaska's Federal Poverty Level is higher.
In This Guide
- Key Takeaways
- Original Medicare: Parts A and B
- Medicare Advantage in Alaska (Part C)
- Medicare Part D: Prescription Drugs
- Medigap in Alaska
- Help Paying for Medicare in Alaska
- Medicare Enrollment Periods
- Free Medicare Help: Alaska Medicare Information Office
- Frequently Asked Questions
About these numbers: The premiums and deductibles below come from CMS for calendar year 2026, effective January 1. Medicare costs change every year. For the most current figures, contact Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 (1-800-MEDICARE) or the Alaska Medicare Information Office at 1-800-478-6065.
Original Medicare: Parts A and B
Original Medicare is run directly by the federal government and comes in two parts. The costs and mechanics are identical in Alaska and every other state.
Part A (Hospital Insurance)
Part A covers inpatient hospital stays, limited skilled nursing facility care, hospice, and some home health care.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly premium | $0 for most people (40+ quarters of work history) |
| Hospital deductible | $1,736 per benefit period |
| Hospital coinsurance, days 61-90 | $434 per day |
| Lifetime reserve days | $868 per day |
| SNF coinsurance, days 21-100 | $217 per day |
The hospital deductible rose $60 from 2025. A benefit period starts the day you're admitted and ends 60 days after you leave. Get readmitted after that, and the deductible applies again.
Part B (Medical Insurance)
Part B covers doctor visits, outpatient care, preventive services, durable medical equipment, and mental health care. It doesn't cover routine dental, vision, or hearing.
- Monthly premium: $202.90 (higher if your 2024 income was above $109,000 single or $218,000 married, under the income-related adjustment)
- Annual deductible: $283
- After the deductible: you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for most services
Part B is technically optional, but nearly everyone signs up. Delay past your enrollment window without other creditable coverage and you'll owe a late penalty of 10% for every 12 months you could have had it, for as long as you keep Part B.
Medicare Advantage in Alaska (Part C)
Medicare Advantage plans are an alternative to Original Medicare, sold by private insurers. They cover everything Parts A and B do, except hospice, which Original Medicare keeps covering. Most bundle in Part D drug coverage along with extras like dental, vision, and hearing.
Alaska's Medicare Advantage market is shaped by the state's geography. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau have some plan choices available. Rural Alaska, which covers most of the state's land mass, has very few Medicare Advantage plans and many areas have none at all. If you live outside a major hub, Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy may be your only practical option. Plan availability changes every year, so check what's actually available at your address using the Medicare Plan Finder.
How These Plans Work
- You keep paying your Part B premium ($202.90) on top of any plan premium. CMS estimates the average Medicare Advantage premium at about $14 a month in 2026, and many plans charge $0 extra.
- Plans run on networks (HMO or PPO). Confirm your doctors and hospitals are in-network before you enroll. In Alaska, provider network coverage is especially important to verify given distances involved.
- Plans usually require prior authorization for certain services, which Original Medicare generally does not.
- Every plan caps your annual in-network out-of-pocket spending (federally limited to $9,250 in 2026; many plans set it lower). Original Medicare has no such cap.
Use the Medicare Plan Finder to compare plans by ZIP code. If you want help reading the results, the Alaska Medicare Information Office will go through them with you for free.
Medicare Part D: Prescription Drugs
Part D covers outpatient prescription drugs. You can get it as a standalone plan paired with Original Medicare, or built into a Medicare Advantage plan.
The Inflation Reduction Act eliminated the old coverage gap, the donut hole, so that higher-cost middle stage is gone. Part D now moves through three phases:
- Deductible: you pay full price until you meet your plan's deductible (up to $615 in 2026).
- Initial coverage: you pay copays or coinsurance while your plan and drug makers cover the rest.
- Catastrophic: once your out-of-pocket spending reaches $2,100, you pay $0 for covered drugs the rest of the year.
That $2,100 cap is the number that matters most in Part D. It was $2,000 in 2025 and rises with drug-spending growth. Every plan also has to offer the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, which lets you spread your out-of-pocket drug costs into capped monthly payments across the year rather than paying in full at the pharmacy. People who qualify for Extra Help often pay much less, sometimes nothing.
Not sure which Part D plan fits your prescriptions? Chat with Brevy's care navigator at brevy.com.
Medigap in Alaska
Medigap policies are sold by private insurers to fill the gaps in Original Medicare: the deductibles, coinsurance, and copays. They work only with Original Medicare, never with Medicare Advantage. In Alaska, these policies are regulated by the Alaska Division of Insurance within the Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development.
Alaska offers the federally standardized plans, labeled A through N. Plans C and F are closed to anyone who became Medicare-eligible on or after January 1, 2020. Plan G is the popular choice for people newly eligible: it covers the Part A deductible, Part A and Part B coinsurance, and skilled nursing coinsurance, leaving only the $283 Part B deductible on you.
Given the limited Medicare Advantage market in much of Alaska, Medigap may be particularly worth considering for Alaskans outside the major metro areas. Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy gives you access to any provider who accepts Medicare, which matters when your nearest specialist may be in a different city.
Your One Guaranteed Window
Your strongest opening is the federal Medigap Open Enrollment Period, the six months that begin when you're 65 and enrolled in Part B. During that window an insurer must sell you any plan it offers at the standard rate, regardless of your health.
Alaska has no annual birthday rule or other recurring window to change Medigap plans without health screening. Once your six-month window closes, an insurer can use medical underwriting, meaning it can charge more or decline you based on your health, unless a federal guaranteed-issue right applies.
Medigap or Medicare Advantage?
You can't hold both. Choose Medigap and you stay on Original Medicare with the freedom to see any provider who accepts Medicare nationwide. Choose Medicare Advantage and you trade some of that flexibility for a network, which in rural Alaska may be thin or nonexistent. For a full comparison, see our guide to Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage.
Help Paying for Medicare in Alaska
If you're on a fixed income, two programs can cut your Medicare costs sharply. Alaska's version of these programs reaches more residents than in most states.
Alaska's Medicare Savings Programs
Alaska runs its Medicare Savings Programs through the Alaska Medicare Information Office at the Alaska Department of Health. They pay some or all of your Medicare premiums and cost-sharing based on income and assets.
Alaska's income limits are higher than the lower-48 standard because Alaska's Federal Poverty Level is set above the national baseline. The 2026 figures below are approximate; confirm current limits with the Alaska Medicare Information Office before applying.
| Program | Individual (approx.) | Couple (approx.) | What it pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| QMB | Up to about $1,690 | Up to about $2,280 | Part A and B premiums, deductibles, coinsurance (no balance-billing) |
| SLMB | Higher than QMB | Higher than QMB | Part B premium |
| QI | Higher than SLMB | Higher than SLMB | Part B premium |
For comparison, the standard lower-48 QMB income limit is about $1,350 a month for an individual. Alaska's higher FPL means the threshold is roughly $340 a month higher, so Alaskans who might miss the lower-48 cut may qualify here.
QMB is the most generous program. It pays your Part A and Part B premiums plus deductibles and coinsurance, and federal law bars providers from billing you for Medicare's share. The 2026 resource (asset) limit is $9,950 for one person and $14,910 for a couple at the federal standard, which applies in Alaska as well. Income limits are tied to the Federal Poverty Level and update annually. Confirm current figures with the Alaska Medicare Information Office at 1-800-478-6065 before applying. Enrolling in any of these programs automatically qualifies you for Extra Help with Part D.
Extra Help for Part D
Extra Help, also called the Low-Income Subsidy, pays Part D premiums, deductibles, and copays for people with limited income and resources. Since 2024, the partial-subsidy tier is gone, so everyone who qualifies now gets the full subsidy.
- Income limit (2026): up to about $1,995 a month for an individual, $2,705 for a couple (national standard; Alaska FPL adjustments may raise this slightly)
- Resource limits: $16,590 for an individual, $33,100 for a married couple
- If you qualify for QMB, SLMB, or QI, you're enrolled in Extra Help automatically
Apply through Social Security at ssa.gov or call 1-800-772-1213.
Medicare Enrollment Periods
Miss a deadline and you can face coverage gaps or permanent penalties. These dates are federal and the same in Alaska as everywhere else.
| Period | Dates | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Enrollment | 7 months around your 65th birthday | Sign up for Parts A, B, and D; pick MA or Medigap |
| Annual Open Enrollment | Oct 15 - Dec 7 | Switch MA plans, move between MA and Original Medicare, change Part D |
| MA Open Enrollment | Jan 1 - Mar 31 | Switch MA plans or drop MA for Original Medicare (if already in MA) |
| General Enrollment | Jan 1 - Mar 31 | Sign up for Part B if you missed your initial window |
| Medigap Open Enrollment | 6 months from age 65 + Part B | Buy any Medigap plan at the standard rate, no health screening |
Changes you make during Annual Open Enrollment take effect January 1. If you're already receiving Social Security before 65, you're enrolled in Parts A and B automatically; if not, you sign up through Social Security.
Free Medicare Help: Alaska Medicare Information Office
You don't have to work through this alone, and you don't need to pay a broker. The Alaska Medicare Information Office at the Alaska Department of Health operates the state's SHIP program, along with the Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) and MIPPA outreach. Counselors provide free, one-on-one, unbiased Medicare guidance and don't sell insurance.
The Alaska Medicare Information Office can help you:
- Understand your Medicare options and what each part covers
- Compare Medicare Advantage, Part D, and Medigap plans side by side
- Apply for Alaska's Medicare Savings Programs and Extra Help
- Sort out billing problems, denials, and appeals
- Spot and report Medicare fraud through the Senior Medicare Patrol
Call 1-800-478-6065 (statewide) or 907-269-3680 (Anchorage) to reach a counselor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Alaska's income limits are higher because the Federal Poverty Level in Alaska is set above the national standard to reflect the state's higher cost of living. For 2026, Alaska's QMB income limit is approximately $1,690 a month for an individual and $2,280 for a couple, compared to the lower-48 standard of about $1,350 and $1,824. SLMB and QI limits are similarly elevated. These figures are approximate; confirm current limits with the Alaska Medicare Information Office at 1-800-478-6065 before applying.
No, not in practice. Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau have some Medicare Advantage plan options, but rural Alaska has very few or none at all. Medicare Advantage plans require provider networks, and in remote areas of Alaska, those networks may not exist. If you live outside a major hub, Original Medicare plus a Medigap policy typically gives you broader access to providers. Use the Medicare Plan Finder (medicare.gov/plan-compare) to see exactly what's available at your address.
Most people pay $0 for Part A. The standard Part B premium is $202.90 a month with a $283 annual deductible. Part D premiums vary by plan (deductible up to $615, out-of-pocket capped at $2,100 for the year), and many Medicare Advantage plans charge no extra premium. Your total depends on the plan you choose and the care you use.
Contact the Alaska Medicare Information Office at 1-800-478-6065 or apply through Alaska DHSS. Income limits are approximate and update annually with the Federal Poverty Level, so confirm current figures before applying. Enrolling automatically qualifies you for Extra Help with Part D costs.
Learn More
- Medicare: The National Guide
- Original Medicare vs. Medicare Advantage
- How Medigap Works
- Medicare Part D Drug Coverage
- Medicare Enrollment Periods
Find personalized help with Medicare in Alaska at brevy.com.
The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.