Around the PIA Western Alliance States – Week of July 6, 2026
Published July 7, 2026 at 1:00 PM · News Releases and Bulletins
California — Lara and Insurance Reforms: Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara applauded a judge’s order upholding his authority to protect consumers’ access and stabilize the state’s insurance market. Late yesterday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Tiana J. Murillo rejected a lawsuit filed by Consumer Watchdog. The lawsuit challenged two Bulletins issued by Commissioner Lara aimed at breaking the cycle of insurance unavailability. Commissioner Lara’s actions addressed what a news story called a “hidden crisis” of insurance companies withdrawing from California due to fear of possible major assessments by the FAIR Plan after a major disaster.
“While critics choose to complain and litigate from the sidelines, we are doing the hard work to fix a broken system, lower reliance on the FAIR Plan, and get companies back to writing policies,” said Commissioner Lara. “This victory sends a loud and clear message: The era of allowing special interests to derail consumer choice is over. We have the momentum, we have the authority, and we will continue to fight until every California has access to the coverage they deserve.”
Commissioner Lara issued a Bulletin in September 2024 protecting consumers by ensuring that, in an extreme worst-case scenario, insurance companies cannot pass through all excess FAIR Plan losses to their policyholders -- they must be proportional and, if approved, be recovered over no more than two years. That worst-case scenario happened months later with the L.A. wildfires, when Commissioner Lara’s order helped stabilize the insurance market. His February 2025 Bulletin further provided guidance to the procedure for insurers to seek prior approval of pass-throughs under Proposition 103.
Judge Murillo wrote: “The meaning of Section 10095(c) is plain: it governs how writings, profits, losses, and expenses must be allocated between FAIR Plan member insurers. Petitioner objects to the way the Commissioner permits insurers to handle assessments after they are levied. This does not fall within the plain language of section 10095(c). Nothing in that statutory text conditions an insurer’s proportional share of FAIR Plan expenses on ultimately absorbing those costs rather than paying them initially. Section 10095(c) regulates the apportionment obligation itself, not the insurer’s subsequent financial decisions or transactions with its policyholders. If the Court accepted that pass-through charges could somehow be incorporated into the terms of section 10095(c), such that section 10095(c) were ambiguous, principles of statutory construction and legislative history still would not dictate a different result. Petitioner does not demonstrate the Court can impose a substantial limit on the Commissioner’s powers authorized under Proposition 103 by inferring an affirmative limitation from an omission that is only apparent by comparison to other policy schemes. Therefore, the Commissioner’s authority to issue the Bulletins, which exists under Proposition 103, does not violate section 10095(c).”
Following the L.A. wildfire disaster in January 2025, the FAIR Plan, an insurance safety net that the state requires insurance companies to operate, requested the Commissioner’s approval for $1 billion in additional funds from its member companies. Insurance companies were allowed to pass through some – but not all – of those costs to policyholders.
Under Prop. 103, insurance companies applied to the Department, which reviewed and approved the two-year temporary fees. Insurance companies passed the fees to consumers, under the same procedure used to pass through to consumers awards of compensation to intervenors, including Consumer Watchdog. The median fee for homeowners was $28 per year.
Idaho — Rescission of All Bulletins Prior to July 1, 2016: Effective July 1, 2026, the Department of Insurance is rescinding all Bulletins issued prior to July 1, 2016, in order to reduce regulatory burden and ensure accurate ongoing guidance. The Department will reissue any bulletins that are still necessary.
All active bulletins will continue to be available on the Department’s web page at doi.idaho.gov.
This Bulletin is not new law but is an agency interpretation of existing law, except as authorized by law or as incorporated into a contract. Requests for additional information or other inquiries regarding this Bulletin can be directed to the Regulatory Compliance Specialist, Kolina Manusina at 208-334-4283 or Kolina.manusina@doi.idaho.gov.
Bulletin No. 26-03 – Rescission of All Bulletins Prior to July 1, 2016
Effective July 1, 2026, the following bulletins have been reissued with updated legislative references and Department guidance. Please click each link below to read the full bulletin:
Bulletin No. 26-04 – Guidance on Use and File Submission of Property and Casualty Rates (Reissuance of Bulletin 91-1)
Bulletin No. 26-05 – Idaho Code § 41-1812 - Filing and Use of Forms (Reissuance of Bulletin 95-3)
Bulletin No. 26-06 – Idaho Long-Term Care Insurance Partnership Program Notice and Filing Requirements (Reissuance of Consolidated Bulletins 06-6, 07-8 and 16-02)
Bulletin No. 26-07 – Household Exclusions and Step-Down Provisions within Motor Vehicle Liability Insurance Policies- Idaho Code § 49-1212 (Reissuance of Bulletin 08-01)
Bulletin No. 26-08 – Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Protections (Reissuance of Bulletin 09-10)
Bulletin No. 26-09– Filing Group Disability/Health Contracts with Negotiated Terms (Reissuance of Bulletin 10-02)
Bulletin No. 26-10– Money Handling and Fiduciary Funds (Reissuance of Bulletin 11-01)
Bulletin No. 26-11 – Amendments to the Idaho Surplus Line Law, Title 41, Chapter 12, Idaho Code, and Implementation of the Federal Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2010 (Reissuance of Bulletin 11-08)
This is not an exhaustive list of pre-2016 bulletins that will be reissued. The Department continues to review and will reissue bulletins as needed to provide current, accurate guidance to the industry and consumers.
Oregon — The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation recently announced the following proposed rulemaking. Filing Caption: Increases the application, license issuance, license renewal fees charged to insurance producers, adjusters, insurance consultants.
Rules Proposed: 836-009-0007
Rules Summary: This rule establishes the fees charged to insurance producers, adjusters, and insurance consultants for applications, license issuance, and license renewal.
Filed: June 29, 2026
Hearing date/time: July 23, 2026, 11:00 AM
Last Day and Time to Offer Comment to Agency: July 30, 2026, 5:00 PM
For more information on recently proposed rulemaking, please visit the division's website: https://bit.ly/4y8Bkth
Oregon — The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation recently announced the following permanent rulemaking: ID 7-2026: HB 3243 (2025) Ground Ambulance Balance Billing
Rules: 836-053-0444, 836-053-0447, 836-053-0451, 836-053-0454, 836-053-0457, 836-053-0461
Summary: HB 3243 (2025) is intended to protect Oregon consumers from out-of-network balance billing for ground ambulance services. The law prohibits billing health benefit plan enrollees more than the in-network cost sharing amount for these services and sets minimum thresholds for health benefit plan reimbursement.
Filed: June 24, 2026
Effective: June 29, 2026
For more information on this recently adopted rule, please visit the division's website:
Oregon — The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation recently announced the following permanent rulemaking: ID 6-2026: Network Adequacy Standards for Health Benefit Plans – Implementation of SB 822
Rules: 836-053-0300, 836-053-0310, 836-053-0320, 836-053-0325, 836-053-0330, 836-053-0335, 836-053-0340, 836-053-0345, 836-053-0350, 836-053-0355
Summary: This rulemaking is needed to implement SB 822 (2025), which directs the department to adopt rules establishing quantitative standards for evaluating health plan provider network adequacy.
Filed: June 22, 2026
Effective: June 29, 2026
For more information on this recently adopted rule, please visit the division's website:
Oregon — The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation recently announced the following permanent rulemaking: ID 5-2026: Amendment to 2027 standard bronze and silver health benefit plans
Rules: 836-053-0013
Summary: Update Standard Bronze and Silver Plans.
Filed: June 17, 2026
Effective: July 1, 2026
836-053-0013.pdf
For more information on this recently adopted rule, please visit the division's website:
Oregon — State warns about life insurance fraud ring targeting older adults: The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation is warning people about a recently detected fraud ring that is signing up people for life insurance without their knowledge or consent. The fraud, which targets mostly older adults, has been found in multiple states, including Oregon.
Here is how the fraud, which involves licensed insurance agents, works:
Victims receive multiple telemarketing calls in which they tell the telemarketer personal information. The information collected during these telemarketing calls is then shared with the insurance agents participating in the fraud ring. The agents then cold call the victim to obtain any additional personal information needed to complete an application for a life insurance policy, which gets submitted without the victim’s knowledge or consent. The life insurance policy, or in many cases multiple policies, is issued and the agent is paid a commission for the sale of the policy, even though the policy has not yet been paid for at this point. When the insurance company attempts to collect the first premium payment, the fraud is discovered..
“Because the insurance company is paying upfront commissions to the agents, the companies are experiencing high losses as a result of this fraud ring,” said TK Keen, Oregon insurance commissioner and DFR administrator. “Additionally, the victims of the fraud ring are being targeted for other scams and schemes, putting them at risk for future fraud.”
DFR has a website with tips to help protect yourself from fraud. Among those tips are the following:
· Sign up for the National Do Not Call Registry.
· Do not answer the phone if you do not know the caller. If you do answer, hang up if it is a robot, a stranger, or someone pressuring you.
· If you do not know the sender, do not respond to texts, emails, or click on a link.
· Question everything. If you do not understand something, do not sign it or agree to it.
· Never give personal identifying information to strangers.
· Ask your credit card company and bank if they can put a fraud alert on your accounts.
· Monitor your financial accounts regularly.
· Consider enlisting a trusted family member or reputable bill-paying service. Contact your local Area Agency on Aging for help with routine payments.
· Execute a power of attorney only if you have someone you trust completely, and only after consulting with an attorney. Be sure to ask about gifting clauses, and limit the power you give your selected person. Only grant authority that is necessary.
DFR’s consumer advocates are always there to help with questions or to file a complaint. You can reach them at 1-888-877-4894 (toll-free) or email DFR.InsuranceHelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for insurance help and dfr.financialserviceshelp@dcbs.oregon.gov for financial services help.
Washington — Fire loss reporting template update: Please be advised - the fire loss reporting template has been updated to include two new fields: Contact Name and Contact Email. The updated template and instructions can be found on the fire loss reporting webpage. This change goes into effect for all submissions on or after Wednesday, June 24th. After this date, submissions without the required contact fields will fail to process.
As a reminder, authorized insurers already reporting to ISO ClaimSearch® fulfill the fire loss reporting requirements in RCW 48.05.320. These authorized insurers do NOT need to separately report to the OIC. This notice is only applicable to companies who do not report to ISO ClaimSearch®.
Please reach out to datacall@oic.wa.gov with any questions about this reporting.