Blue Cross Blue Shield negotiated rates in Alaska
How Blue Cross Blue Shield's Alaska rates compare with the other three national payers, across the procedures that matter most to high-revenue specialties.
Blue Cross Blue Shield in Alaska at a glance
What the data shows
Blue Cross Blue Shield ranks 3rd of 4 payers in Alaska with a rate index of 100 (100 = the Alaska market median), across 228 procedure codes.
Blue Cross Blue Shield has the highest median for only 21% of codes in Alaska; Aetna leads with an index of 121 in the files analyzed.
Blue Cross Blue Shield's Alaska rates sit 143% above its own national level, the 1st highest of its 51 states.
Largest premium over the Alaska market: CPT 93298 (Rem interrog dev eval scrms) at 231% of market; largest discount: CPT 20550 (Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament) at 67%.
In Alaska, BCBS rates come from 31 licensee file sets; the largest is Premera (255 sampled providers).
How the four payers compare in Alaska
| Payer | Index | Rank | Level | Highest on | Providers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aetna | 121 | 1 | 58% | 211 | |
| UnitedHealthcare | 114 | 2 | 26% | 164 | |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | 100 | 3 | 21% | 290 | |
| Cigna | 64 | 4 | 0% | 57 |
Where Blue Cross Blue Shield pays most and least against the Alaska market
Highest above market
| Code | BCBS | Market | Gap | Prov. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 93298 Rem interrog dev eval scrms | $386 | $167 | +131% | 25 |
| 92235 Fluorescein angrph mltiframe | $657 | $340 | +93% | 22 |
| 92242 Fluorescein&icg angiography | $1,138 | $648 | +76% | 22 |
| 90960 Esrd srv 4 visits p mo 20+ | $1,395 | $800 | +74% | 84 |
| 88313 Special stains group 2 | $304 | $179 | +70% | 15 |
| 88312 Special stains group 1 | $424 | $254 | +67% | 30 |
| 88305 Tissue exam by pathologist | $290 | $180 | +61% | 30 |
| 92273 Full field erg w/i&r | $510 | $323 | +58% | 22 |
Furthest below market
| Code | BCBS | Market | Gap | Prov. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20550 Njx 1 tendon sheath/ligament | $158 | $235 | -33% | 62 |
| 72131 Ct lumbar spine w/o dye | $329 | $469 | -30% | 44 |
| 20611 Drain/inj joint/bursa w/us | $238 | $336 | -29% | 62 |
| 72197 Mri pelvis w/o & w/dye | $848 | $1,197 | -29% | 44 |
| 74183 Mri abd w/o cntr flwd cntr | $807 | $1,114 | -28% | 44 |
| 71271 Ct thorax lung cancer scr c- | $310 | $417 | -26% | 44 |
| 26055 Incise finger tendon sheath | $1,212 | $1,623 | -25% | 62 |
| 72158 Mri lumbar spine w/o & w/dye | $802 | $1,066 | -25% | 44 |
Where Blue Cross Blue Shield pays above and below its national level
Highest states
| State | Index | Prov. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 243 | 290 | |
| Wisconsin | 192 | 733 | |
| Minnesota | 171 | 671 | |
| North Dakota | 148 | 329 | |
| Wyoming | 145 | 256 |
Lowest states
| State | Index | Prov. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 63 | 758 | |
| Arizona | 66 | 479 | |
| Texas | 69 | 1,003 | |
| District of Columbia | 69 | 484 | |
| New Mexico | 74 | 562 |
Blue Cross Blue Shield licensees in Alaska
| Licensee file set | Sampled providers |
|---|---|
| Premera | 255 |
| Community Insurance Company | 23 |
| Healthy Alliance Life Insurance Company | 14 |
| Regence | 12 |
| BCBS NC | 7 |
| BCBS TX | 6 |
| HealthKeepers, Inc. | 5 |
| BCBS MT | 5 |
| BCBS MI | 5 |
| BS CA | 4 |
| Blue Shield of California Life & Health Insurance Company | 4 |
| BCBS IL | 3 |
| BCBS MN | 3 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts HMO Blue, Inc. | 3 |
| Carefirst BCBS | 3 |
| Matthew Thornton Health Plan, Inc. | 3 |
| BCBS TN | 3 |
| Capital BlueCross | 2 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota | 2 |
| Excellus BCBS | 2 |
| BCBS NJ (Horizon) | 2 |
| Wellmark | 2 |
| Capital BC | 2 |
| BCBS MA | 2 |
| Horizon Healthcare of New Jersey | 2 |
| BCBS OK | 2 |
| BCBS NM | 2 |
| BCBS RI | 1 |
| Anthem (Elevance) | 1 |
| Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska | 1 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Wyoming | 1 |
Frequently asked questions
Does Blue Cross Blue Shield pay more or less than the other payers in Alaska?
Blue Cross Blue Shield ranks 3rd of 4 in Alaska with an index of 100. It is highest on 21% of codes.
Are Blue Cross Blue Shield's Alaska rates above or below its national level?
About 143% above.
Which procedure does Blue Cross Blue Shield pay most above market in Alaska?
CPT 93298 (Rem interrog dev eval scrms), at 231% of the Alaska median.
Methodology
- Source: in-network negotiated-rate files published under the federal Transparency in Coverage rule, August 2026 snapshot: UnitedHealthcare Choice plans (74 files); Aetna commercial plans (70 files); Cigna national PPO (1 files); BCBS licensees' own-network files (5,387 files). Payer comparisons describe these files, not each payer's entire book of business.
- Sample: rates come from a random sample of up to 150 providers per state and specialty. Counts on this page are sampled providers and TINs, not totals.
- Which providers count: only providers in a specialty relevant to the code, because a rate in a payer file attaches to a provider group and is listed under every provider in that group.
- Filters: fee-for-service, professional billing class, no modifier, negotiated or fee-schedule dollar rates. Rates outside 1% to 1,000% of the Medicare rate are excluded.
- Statistic: one median rate per provider, then percentiles across providers. A cell is shown only with at least 15 sampled providers and 4 TINs.
- Medicare benchmark: CY2026 national physician fee schedule, non-QPP conversion factor, unadjusted for locality. Where the non-facility rate is more than twice the facility rate (office rates that include device or supply cost), the facility rate is used so comparisons are like for like.
Is your Blue Cross Blue Shield contract at market in Alaska?
Compare your negotiated rates for these codes with Alaska medians for each payer.