Alaska Dispatch has the goods. I was unaware that Palin "declared April 16, 2008 'Health Decisions Day' in Alaska to encourage more citizens to talk to their health care providers about 'advanced directives.'" That's almost identical to the abandoned proposal she now calls a "death panel". Then this:
In 2007, Palin said that providing adequate health care "is one of the most pressing domestic issues facing the United States as a nation." But as governor of Alaska, she did virtually nothing to ensure "real" or any other kind of health care reform. While she and her family had access to some of the very best health insurance available (which was tax payer funded) nearly 33 percent of her constituents-- about 200,000 residents -- were uninsured at some point in 2008, one of the highest rates in the country.
Alaska, which has one of the least restrictive insurance markets, is dominated by two insurance companies that control over 96 percent of the market. Premera Blue Cross insures about 60 percent of the market, while Aetna insures more than 30 percent. And what they offer is some of the most expensive coverage in the U.S. Between 2000 and 2007, insurance premiums in Alaska rose more than 74 percent, while wages grew 13 percent.