JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – The lone insurer offering policies on Alaska's individual health insurance market has filed for an average rate decrease of about 22 percent next year.

If approved, this would be the first time the average rate has decreased under the current federal health care law in Alaska, a remote state where high health care and premium costs have been an ongoing concern.

Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield attributed the requested drop in rates to factors including the payment of high-cost claims through a state program and a sharp reduction in the use of medical services by customers....