Around the PIA Western Alliance States – Week of January 19, 2026

Washington — OIC releases prepublication draft rule on PY 27 health carrier rate development components (R 2025-02): We are releasing a prepublication draft for rulemaking regarding health carrier rate development components for plan years beginning in 2027.

In 2025, OIC adopted emergency rules on this issue (R 2025-01, R 2025-07, R 2025-17). Those emergency rules gave carriers guidance for Plan Year 2026 health carrier rate development components, including the development of a uniform cost-sharing reduction factor. The policy adopted in these emergency rules is sometimes referred to as “standardized silver loading” or “premium alignment.” 

This prepublication draft addresses health carrier rate development components for plan years beginning in 2027.

We are requesting comments on this prepublication draft by February 13, 2026. Please send comments to rulescoordinator@oic.wa.gov.

OIC will monitor any federal changes on this topic, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters annual rule.

For more information, including the prepublication draft document, please visit the rule webpage.

Washington — On Campus: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread on SB 5331: If an insurance company takes your money, getting it back shouldn’t be a problem. That’s the basis behind Senate Bill 5331, which grants the Washington state Insurance Commissioner the authority to order companies that violate insurance laws to make the people they have harmed whole.

It’s an authority held by insurance regulators in 38 states —including North Dakota, where Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread worked to get a bill similar to SB 5331 passed last April.

On this episode of the OIC's On Campus podcast miniseries, Godfread joins Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer to talk about why he supported the bill, the discussions around passing it, and how a family of farmers defrauded by an insurance company showed the North Dakota legislature the importance of granting restitution authority to regulators.

Listen: North Dakota Insurance Commissioner Jon Godfread on SB 5331 — https://bit.ly/3YLrHAz

Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer will be hosting lawmakers and other guests from her office on the Capitol Campus during the 2026 session