We Wish You a Merry Checkup.

• Author: Mackenzie, Kathryn

I can't think of a place I'd rather be in winter than Alaska. It truly is a wonderland, I mean, Mr. and Mrs. Claus live just a plane ride from our offices. But with the good always comes the not-so-good, in this case colds, flus, even pneumonia and general malaise from long, dark days. For most of us, a few days in bed are enough to get back on our feet and into the frosty air. For others, a trip to the family doctor will do the trick. But for those without or with limited insurance, finding a solution to illness (physical and emotional) doesn't come easy. Even at the best of times health insurance is a complicated and confusing system--especially in Alaska, which has the highest healthcare costs in the country.

And while we celebrate the great parts of living in Alaska (even with the flu) during the holiday season, we also recognize there are many businesses that struggle to offer health insurance to their employees. The average cost for the lowest-priced small business health insurance plan in Alaska is about $715 per employee each month, according to Healthcare.gov, meaning that providing healthcare benefits for employees often comes at the cost of the employer's ability to branch out, invest, or even insure themselves.

For consumers who don't have commercial or employer-provided insurance, there are options, but they aren't always optimal. One is Medicaid (not to be confused with Medicare... see it's confusing!) which offers healthcare coverage to...