Health insurance or Medicaid said no in Alaska? Deadlines and free help

In Alaska, your health plan is regulated by Alaska Division of Insurance (Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development), if it is a state-regulated plan.

Alaska runs its own independent review of denials: External Review. You generally have 180 days to ask for it.

External review means a doctor or reviewer outside your plan decides again. Internal appeal means your plan looks at its own decision again.

Pick your plan type

Which kind of coverage was denied? The plan type decides which rules and deadlines apply.

Insurance I bought or got through work

Your state insurance rules may apply. First appeal to your plan, then ask for an outside review.

My employer pays claims itself (self-funded)

Federal rules apply, and most state insurance laws do not. Free help comes from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Alaska Medicaid

You ask the state for a fair hearing. In a Medicaid health plan, you usually appeal to the plan first.

Marketplace (HealthCare.gov) decision

A decision about whether you can buy a plan or get financial help is appealed to the Marketplace.

How long do I have?Urgent care: faster decisionWrite my appealFree help

Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.

Appeal deadlines are strict. If you are near a deadline or your care is urgent, call free help today.

How long do I have in Alaska?

Appeal to your plan
At least 180 days from receipt of the denial (federal rule)
Outside review
180 days
Hearing deadline
30 days
Appeal deadline – HealthCare.gov
90 days (federal rule)

All the details →

How long do I have? Deadline calculator

How do I know which plan type I have?

How to tell which agency regulates your plan

If you have a question, complaint or dispute about insurance from a self-insured employer (typically a large company or one with locations in several states), contact the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, at 1-866-444-3272. For insurance you bought yourself or from an employer that does business only in Alaska, contact the Alaska Division of Insurance.

Step 1: Appeal to your plan in Alaska

What it is called: Grievance (review of an adverse determination) with your health care insurer

The insurer must decide a grievance about care you have not yet received within 30 days, and a grievance about care already received within 30 days. An expedited grievance is decided within 72 hours. Within 3 working days after you file, the insurer must tell you how the process works. You can get free copies of all documents relevant to your claim, and the reviewer must consider everything you send, even if it was not part of the first decision. Every decision notice must tell you that you can contact the Division of Insurance for help at any time.

Law: 3 AAC 28.936, 28.938

All the details →

Step 2: Outside review in Alaska

External Review

Deadline to ask: 180 days.

All the details →

Urgent care in Alaska: faster decisions

Appeal to your plan

  • Your plan must decide an urgent appeal within 72 hours.

Outside review

You can ask for expedited external review by phone if waiting would seriously jeopardize your life, health or ability to regain maximum function. The independent reviewer decides within 72 hours after receiving an eligible request, and sends written confirmation within 48 hours if the first notice was not in writing. Expedited review is not available for care already received.

Law: 3 AAC 28.950-28.982 (esp. 28.954, 28.956, 28.958, 28.960, 28.962, 28.966, 28.980)

Medicaid

You can ask for an expedited hearing if the usual time would jeopardize your life, health, or ability to attain, maintain or regain maximum function.

Law: 7 AAC 49.010-49.210

Complaints about your plan in Alaska

For other problems with an Alaska-regulated insurer, contact the Alaska Division of Insurance in Anchorage (907-269-7900) or Juneau (907-465-2515), by email at insurance@alaska.gov, or by mail at P.O. Box 110805, Juneau, AK 99811-0805.

www.commerce.alaska.gov

Medicaid (Alaska Medicaid (and Denali KidCare)) denials in Alaska

Who holds the hearing: Alaska Office of Administrative Hearings (requests go to the Department of Health, which refers them).

Hearing deadline: 30 days

All the details →

Marketplace decisions in Alaska

Alaska uses HealthCare.gov. Appeals go to the federal Marketplace Appeals Center.

HealthCare.gov

1-855-231-1751

Other rights in Alaska

How fast an insurer must decide a prior approval

An insurer must decide a request for care you have not yet received within 5 working days (it can extend once by 5 working days), and an urgent care request within 24 hours. Decisions on care already received are due within 30 days.

Law: 3 AAC 28.910(b)-(c), (i); 3 AAC 28.912(d)

Longer time to appeal

Alaska gives 180 days both to file a grievance with your insurer and to ask the Division of Insurance for external review, and either deadline can be extended for a fair and reasonable reason, even if you ask after it has passed.

Law: 3 AAC 28.936(a), 28.954(a), 28.958(a)-(b)

How long do I have? Deadline calculator

Pick your plan type and enter the dates on your notice. We count from the rules in Alaska and the federal rules.

Worked out in your browser. Nothing you enter here is saved or sent.

If you are not sure when it arrived, use the date printed on the notice. That date is never later than the day it arrived.

Choose what was decided and enter the date on your notice

We add the number of days or months from the law to your date. Nothing is saved.

Write my appeal: free letters

Free help in Alaska

Good to know in Alaska

  • Alaska gives 180 days to ask for external review, longer than the federal minimum of 4 months, and the Director will extend it for a fair and reasonable reason.

    Law: 3 AAC 28.954(a)

  • Alaska requires insurers to decide urgent prior approval requests within 24 hours.

    Law: 3 AAC 28.912(d)

  • Alaska Medicaid fair hearing requests must be made in writing within 30 days of the date of the notice.

    Law: 7 AAC 49.030

Questions about appeals in Alaska

How long do I have to appeal a health insurance denial in Alaska?

File your grievance within 180 days after you receive the denial notice. The insurer must give you more time if you ask in writing and give a fair and reasonable reason, and you can ask for this extension even after the 180 days. You have at least 180 days (about 6 months) from when you receive the denial notice to file an internal appeal.

How do I get an outside (external) review in Alaska?

External Review. Send a written request to the Director of the Division of Insurance by mail, email or fax, with a copy of the insurer's written denial notice. For expedited review you can call the Division.

Is outside review free in Alaska?

There is no charge for asking for external review. The insurer pays the independent review organization.

How long do I have to ask for a Medicaid fair hearing in Alaska?

30 days. The date of the notice (the date on the letter)

Can I keep my Medicaid benefits while I appeal in Alaska?

If you are getting benefits and you ask for a hearing, your benefits may be continued automatically (or reinstated) until the final decision, unless you tell the Department you do not want them to continue. Federal rules may limit this (for example, where the law itself requires the change).

Who regulates health insurance in Alaska?

Alaska Division of Insurance (Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development). If you have a question, complaint or dispute about insurance from a self-insured employer (typically a large company or one with locations in several states), contact the U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, at 1-866-444-3272. For insurance you bought yourself or from an employer that does business only in Alaska, contact the Alaska Division of Insurance.

Not about a denied claim?

Nearby states

Sources

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