One factor that substantially increases the hospital bed and surgery costs in Alaska are the CON (Certificate of Need) laws which have been  proven to protect higher priced facilities from competition.  https://fee.org/articles/the-great-healthcare-con/  It is literally a con-job/false-information that existing providers use to promote the false narrative that CON laws work to keep help keep costs down when in reality, the CON laws on average create 14% higher costs for services compared to states that have repealed the laws.   CON laws started with a federal mandate and when it was proven that they did not work, the federal government repealed the mandate.  Because of political pressure and disinformation provided by those that directly benefit from this form of crony capitalism, Alaska has not eliminated its CON laws.  This political protection racket has cost individual Alaskans a significant amount $$!