House Bill 47 establishes guidelines for direct health care agreements between medical providers and patients. Direct Health Care (DHC) is a subscription for health care services in which patients or employers pay primary care providers a flat, simple periodic fee in exchange for access to a clearly established broad range of health care services. DHC removes some of the financial barriers patients encounter in accessing routine primary care, including preventive, wellness, and chronic care services. With a DHC plan, health care providers aren’t burdened with time-consuming insurance paperwork, leaving more time to spend with [...]

Senate Bill 45 is necessary to reduce barriers between Alaskans and their chosen health care provider. This bill allows patients and healthcare providers to enter into direct health care agreements (DHCA). A direct health care agreement is a contractual agreement between a patient and a provider for health care services. The patient pays a flat, periodic fee (generally monthly) in exchange for routine visits and access to their healthcare provider. These agreements are only between a provider and a patient. Unlike the insurer-patient-provider trifecta, in a DHCA agreement, no third-party is directly participating in [...]