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Alaska Senate Passes Resolution Opposing $880 Billion in Federal Medicaid Cuts
Juneau, AK — Today, the Alaska Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 15, sponsored by the Senate Health and Social Services Committee, urging Alaska’s congressional delegation to oppose proposed federal cuts to Medicaid funding and protect access to essential services for the most vulnerable Alaskans.
The resolution highlights the critical role Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) play in Alaska’s health care system. Together, these programs provide health coverage to more than 250,000 Alaskans—including children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income adults. In a state with limited provider access and significantly higher healthcare costs, Medicaid serves as a financial and medical lifeline for families across Alaska.
In rural and remote communities, where hospitals and clinics often serve as the only local sources of care and economic activity, Medicaid helps sustain operations by reimbursing providers for essential services. In some villages, Medicaid is the primary reason clinics remain operational. The resolution emphasizes that these federal investments are not solely focused on health outcomes—they also support jobs, stabilize healthcare systems, and keep small communities functional.
Federal Medicaid funding makes up approximately 78% of Alaska’s total Medicaid spending, totaling over $2 billion annually. Proposed federal cuts—estimated at nearly $880 billion over the next decade—would drastically reduce Alaska’s ability to provide care, undermine long-term services and supports, and impose a greater financial burden on the state, local providers, and families already struggling with high costs.
“Medicaid is how thousands of Alaskans get access to a doctor, afford prescriptions, or keep a roof over their heads instead of going bankrupt from medical bills. We are talking about seniors, veterans, children, pregnant women, and more,” said Senator Forrest Dunbar, Chair of the Senate Health and Social Services Committee. “If Congress guts Medicaid, Alaskans will lose care, plain and simple. That means more emergency room visits, more untreated behavioral health conditions getting worse, and more families being pushed into crisis. Cutting Medicaid would make life worse for every Alaskan, directly or through the impacts we will see in our hospitals and on our streets.”
Senate Joint Resolution 15 now advances to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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