ALASKA

Our state profiles bring you all the key abortion characteristics of your state on one page.

What can you find on this page?

Abortion Laws: Restrictions + Protections
Clinics that provide abortion
Medication Abortion (MAB) by Mail options
Insurance Coverage
Ways to pay for your abortion
Abortion Appointment Checklist

Abortion Laws: Restrictions + Protections

Despite Roe v Wade being overturned, access to abortion is protected in Alaska’s by the state constitution.

Legal Restrictions of Abortion	Legal Protections of Abortion
Though advocate websites note that Alaska has laws requiring biased counseling prior to abortions, this is not the case in practice	Abortion access is written into the Alaska Constitution
	There are no laws limiting abortions based on pregnancy stage
	Required parental notification is written into law, but this law is permanently blocked by a 2016 court order. Therefore teens do NOT need parental consent. (2)
	The Alaska constitution prohibits lawmakers from defunding abortion care paid for by Medicaid (3)
	Alaska does NOT have a designated waiting period between counseling and the abortion appointment (4)

Updated March 2023

Challenges to Alaska Abortion Care as of March 2023

Alaska is big and many communities are off the road system. Rural access remains a challenge. Even if covered by insurance, pregnant people have to schedule time for travel, balance work and child-care demands, and navigate privacy concerns in small (often conservative) communities. This is complicated by intermittent abortion availability at the four state clinics.
Many private insurers do not pay for travel costs associated with abortion care.

Abortion Clinics in Alaska

3 Clinics: Planned Parenthood clinics have few full-time physicians and often contract with local providers who come in on a variable schedule

Anchorage (in-clinic abortions up to 17w6d, ~once a week on Thursdays)
Juneau (in-clinic abortion up to 13w6d, ~once a month)
Fairbanks (in-clinic abortion up to 13w6d, ~once a month)

There are no private clinics in Alaska that provide abortion care. Planned Parenthood offers both medication and surgical abortions, depending on the location.

Availability is not fixed and oftentimes scheduling availability on the website is not representative of all options (this is particularly true in Juneau). If you are unable to find an available time online, health centers recommend calling the clinic to try and schedule an appointment.

A note about follow-up procedures:

Surgical abortion does not require follow up. Medication abortion requires a one in-person clinic visit. A follow-up appointment is required and may be done over the phone.

Medication Abortion by Mail

There are currently two options available for medication abortions by mail in Alaska.

AidAccess ($150) offers medication abortion by mail to patients of all ages, up to 12 weeks gestational age. Delivery typically takes 2-3 days and the price is $150 with financial support available.
Abortion On Demand ($239) coming soon, not available to PO boxes. You must be 18 or older to use this service.

Insurance Coverage

Does Alaska law allow insurance to cover abortion? Usually, Yes!

Do you have insurance through Alaska’s Medicaid/Medicare program? Abortion is covered in most cases.

Medicaid will cover travel costs (+ an escort) however there needs to be a referring provider. If privacy in the home community is a concern or if a community clinic will not send a referral, Planned Parenthood recommends calling their health centers directly. They will put in a referral and initiate the travel waiver process.
Alaska Medicaid does not tend to mail detailed EOBs so typically confidentiality is maintained even for minors unless a parent or guardian calls and requests information

Do you have insurance through a federal insurance plan (for military members and families, individuals working for the Tribal Health System, National Parks Service employees, etc)? Abortion is not covered.

Alaska does not have confidential billing laws for minors. Thus, if a minor is using their health insurance to pay for abortion services, their parents/guardians may be able to see documentation of these services

Other Ways to Pay for your Abortion

The best option for funding abortion is the
Northwest Abortion Access Fund.

A note about clinic abortions: You may be eligible for discounts and subsidized procedures/healthcare based on your personal situation. We recommend calling the clinic ahead of time to see if you qualify for discounted procedures.

Abortion Appointment Checklist

Need ID? Yes, state or federal identification is required.
Need Parental Notification/Consent? No, you do not need parental consent if you are under 18 (a legal injunction in AK has allowed minors to access abortion without parental consent)
Insurance Information
You will need to provide your insurance information if you’d like your insurance to be billed. You will not be denied care if you are uninsured.
Payment?
Payment is expected at the time of service unless other arrangements have been made.
Call your chosen provider beforehand to see how much your abortion will cost.

Pacific Abortion Project

Challenges to Alaska Abortion Care as of March 2023