Around the PIA Western Alliance States - Week of December 2, 2025

Alaska — Thanksgiving Earthquake: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck on Thanksgiving day. The quake was centered in Susitna about 37 miles from Anchorage.

No serious damage was reported.

Source link: Insurance Business America — https://bit.ly/48Oxk6I

Oregon —The Oregon FAIR Plan Association is looking for interested parties to help guide their efforts as members of their Board of Directors: As a director, you will be assisting the Oregon FAIR Plan and its mission as a state-backed insurance program that provides essential property insurance coverage to individuals and businesses that cannot obtain insurance through traditional markets, particularly in high-risk areas. Established in 1971, the Oregon FAIR Plan serves as the insurer of last resort for homeowners and businesses that cannot secure property insurance elsewhere due to high risk factors such as location, property condition, or previous claims.

While the OFPA was created by the legislature, it is not directly part of the State of Oregon. It is a non-profit association supported entirely by their member companies. Every insurance company licensed to write property insurance in Oregon is required to be a member of the association. All monies belong to the members (profits or losses) and the OFPA receives no tax dollars from the state or federal government. The OFPA is entirely supported by the insurance industry.

The OFPA operates exactly like a small insurance company, writing only property insurance for dwellings, commercial property and farms. They issue all policies in their office on their own OFPA paper and they underwrite all applications in their office using their own staff.

There are currently four (4) openings on their Board of Directors, all of whom must be selected by the Governor and must meet the following specifications:

One member shall be an insurance agent holding an appointment as an Oregon agent of a member insurer

The other three (3) shall never have been an employee or agent of a member insurer and one of these three shall be a resident of a county of over 400,000 population

If you qualify for these roles and are interested in help guide the Oregon FAIR Plan into the future, please apply here:

If you qualify for these roles and are interested in help guide the Oregon FAIR Plan into the future, please apply here: 

https://wd5.myworkday.com/oregon/d/inst/15$158872/9925$217653.htmld

Washington — Kuderer fines Regence BlueShield $550,000 for MHPAEA violations: Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer fined Regence BlueShield $550,000 on November 24 for violations of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA).

“The data Regence provided, or in some cases failed to provide, demonstrates a lack of accountability for following this nation’s insurance laws,” Kuderer said. “Throughout this process, Regence’s staff appeared to willfully misinterpret our questions, dismiss our concerns and generally disregard their own responsibilities to their members’ well-being.”

Over the course of two market scans, a market conduct review, and several requests between 2019 and 2023, Regence failed to provide details of its processes, including what it considers when setting provider rates and determining network adequacy, and how these considerations impact its decision-making.

Washington — Kuderer asks health insurers not to eliminate broker commissions on Medicare products: People shopping for medical and prescription drug plans during Medicare Open Enrollment often need as much help as they can get. Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer on Friday urged health insurance companies not to take one source of help for those shoppers off the table.

Kuderer sent letters to two health insurers asking them to continue paying commissions to insurance producers, brokers, and agents who help seniors and people with disabilities select Medicare plans during open enrollment.

“Discontinuing commissions on any insurance products disincentivizes producers from marketing these products to those who need them and risks driving sales towards products that insurers financially prefer,” Kuderer wrote. “These practices are especially concerning when the insurer has appointed independent agents, has historically paid commissions for these same products, included the commissions in their rate development, or did not provide advanced notice that the plans would be ‘zero commission only.’”

Kuderer has received numerous messages from consumers in Washington state urging her to take action on the matter. Two companies, Humana and UnitedHealthcare, have informed producers that they will no longer be paying commissions on certain Medicare plans.

    Letter to Humana (PDF 203.85KB)

    Letter to UnitedHealthcare (PDF 216.76KB)

“(Producers) may spend hours with an individual, pointing out key questions to consider and searching provider directories and prescription drug plan formularies to ensure that seniors and people with disabilities can continue to see their trusted health care providers and afford their medications,” she wrote. “All producers have an ethical and legal duty to put the best interest of Medicare beneficiaries first and to help them find and enroll in the plan that best meets their needs.”

Eliminating commissions on certain plans, she added, erodes the essential role that licensed independent producers play in helping people navigate their increasingly complex Medicare health plan choices.

“All insurers and producers operating in Washington state that offer insurance products to people eligible for Medicare should act in good faith. Manipulating the Medicare Advantage or Medicare PDP market in a manner that harms Washingtonians eligible for Medicare is unethical,” Kuderer wrote. “I’m asking you to stop this harmful practice and refocus your priority to provide the best prescription drug coverage and provider access, while addressing overall costs and affordability.”

State law does not allow the insurance commissioner to prohibit the practice, but Kuderer wanted to bring attention to how it harms consumers and the overall insurance market.

Washington — Work Comp Premiums Up 4.9% for 2026: Washington businesses are going to see an average workers’ compensation increase of 4.9% for to 2026.

The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries said employees and employers will pay about $1.37 per week more starting January 1st.

Source link: Insurance Journal — https://bit.ly/3M5UMDN