Around the PIA Western Alliance States – Week of March 3, 2025

Montana — Work Comp & Undocumented Workers: The Montana Legislature is working on a bill to make undocumented workers ineligible for workers’ compensation if they’re injured on the job.

The bill is HB 805 and it defines another definition to the definition of an employee saying, “aliens who are lawfully employed.”

HB 805 also — if passed — will let insurance companies stop benefits if an injured worker leaves the country.

Washington — Remembering the Nisqually Earthquake: Friday, February 28, marked the 24th anniversary of the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually Earthquake that shook Western Washington’s Puget Sound region. The anniversary serves as a powerful reminder that the time to prepare for a disaster is now – before a more damaging event occurs.

Preparation is the key to surviving a disaster, and financial preparation, starting with understanding your insurance needs, is the key to protecting your family’s home and assets if the worst happens.

Following Washington’s Nisqually Earthquake in 2001, more than 9,500 claims were filed, and insurance companies paid more than $315 million to policyholders to help them repair damage.

Still, many home and business owners don’t have Earthquake Insurance, possibly because people mistakenly assume earthquake damage is covered under standard home and business policies. Others may assume the coverage is expensive compared to other types of property insurance or that deductibles for the coverage are high – typically the first 20-25 percent of rebuilding costs must be paid by the policyholder.

“Earthquake insurance can vary widely in price based on risk levels, and the age or type of materials used in home or business construction, but the coverage often makes sense to consider, because it helps provide recovery from serious damage or total destruction of a home or business,” said Kenton Brine, president of NW Insurance Council. “Coverage limits and deductibles help keep the coverage more affordable.”

Source link: https://www.nwinsurance.org/asset/67c0dd8682d52

Washington — Updates to Washington Balance Billing Protection Act: On January 30, 2025, OIC released its fourth request for information (RFI) for the Balance Billing Protection Act (BBPA) dispute resolution mechanism. OIC solicited comments as to whether, under the authority provided in RCW 48.49.040, Washington state should transition to the federal No Surprises Act Independent Dispute Resolution (NSA IDR) process on July 1, 2025. The alternative is to continue use of the BBPA arbitration system to resolve disputes between nonparticipating providers and carriers or self-funded group health plans that have elected to participate in the BBPA.

In response to comments received on the RFI, the current high volume of pending cases in the NSA IDR process, and pending federal litigation related to the NSA IDR process, the OIC will be delaying transition to the NSA IDR system for a minimum of 12 months. 

Washington — Patty’s Takes — Commissioner Patty Kuderer: Restitution bill the correct step to protecting Washington consumers: "My office has fined Quick Health $100,000 and suspended their agents’ licenses. We’ve warned people to make sure they’re buying insurance from a legitimate company.

"What we can’t do is order Quick Health to pay back the estimated $777,000 it owes its victims in Washington state.

"We can’t order companies to make things right — but a piece of current legislation could change that.

"Senate Bill 5331 grants the Insurance Commissioner the authority to order restitution be paid to the victims of insurance entities’ illegal actions. Put simply, it permits my office to give people what they want most when financial fraud occurs — their money back."

Kuderer statement: https://bit.ly/43m6RuQ

Washington — Ground ambulance services rates database technical update: During the 2024 Legislative Session, Senate Bill 5986 (SSB 5986) added ground ambulance balance billing protections to the Balance Billing Protection Act (BBPA). RCW 48.49.205 requires local governmental entities to submit their ground ambulance rates to the OIC for public posting.

OIC has updated the dataset to reflect the most current local government established and contracted rates. These are technical updates that correct errors.

If you received this message, you signed up to get updates on the ground ambulance services local governmental entity rates.