02/28/2018 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 165                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to the Alaska comprehensive health                                                                        
     insurance fund; and providing for an effective date."                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
9:16:07 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon  directed attention  to SB 165.  The bill                                                                    
was  heard the  previous day;  the public  hearing had  been                                                                    
opened  and   closed  and  there  had   been  no  testimony.                                                                    
Additionally, the fiscal  note had been reviewed.  She had a                                                                    
question  on  the  fiscal note  regarding  a  discussion  on                                                                    
diverting  $60 million  to the  General Fund.  She explained                                                                    
that  the  fiscal  note  did  not  reflect  the  information                                                                    
because if the  bill was not passed,  the insurance premiums                                                                    
would be  redirected to  the General  Fund already.  She had                                                                    
asked her  staff where the  $322 million coming in  from the                                                                    
federal government was. She would  continue to work with the                                                                    
department  to accurately  reflect  for the  public why  the                                                                    
action  was  taking  place.  She added  there  had  been  no                                                                    
indication of amendments.                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
BRITTANY HARTMANN,  STAFF, SENATOR ANNA  MACKINNON, reviewed                                                                    
the bill.  She detailed the  review would extend  the sunset                                                                    
of  the Alaska  Comprehensive Health  Insurance Fund  for an                                                                    
additional six  years from June  30, 2018 to June  30, 2024.                                                                    
The  extension  was  meant  to  continue  to  stabilize  the                                                                    
individual healthcare  market in  Alaska and to  comply with                                                                    
the federal award with the 1332 waiver.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
LORI   WING-HEIER,   DIRECTOR,    DIVISION   OF   INSURANCE,                                                                    
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE,  COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,                                                                    
added her  sincere thanks for  the support the  division had                                                                    
received from the legislature. She  relayed the bill meant a                                                                    
great  deal to  many  Alaskans. The  division supported  the                                                                    
effort. She understood the decision  had not been easy in FY                                                                    
16  and she  hoped the  waiver had  provided the  additional                                                                    
funding to continue the program.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Bishop  MOVED to REPORT  SB 165 out  of Committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SB  165 was  REPORTED  out  of committee  with  a "do  pass"                                                                    
recommendation  and  with   two  previously  published  zero                                                                    
fiscal notes: FN1 (ADM), FN2 (CED).                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
9:19:36 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:22:07 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED