Around the PIA Western Alliance States – Week of November 17, 2025

California — CAARP Advisory Committee, the COIN Advisory Board, and the Insurance Diversity Task Force Appointments: Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced several reappointments to help drive forward the California Department of Insurance’s mission to protect California consumers. These reappointments include Michael Golden, Bernardo de la Torre, Doug Heller, and Cynthia Strathmann to the California Automobile Assigned Risk Plan (CAARP) Advisory Committee, Doug Bystry to the California Organized Investment Network (COIN) Advisory Board, and Rebecca Aguilera-Gardiner, Mark Morales, and Tommy Smith to the Insurance Diversity Task Force.

“I am pleased to announce these reappointments to the CAARP Advisory Committee, the COIN Advisory Board, and the Insurance Diversity Task Force. I have every confidence that these returning members will act in the best interest of all Californians,” said Commissioner Lara. “The diverse perspectives of these appointees are critical to protecting consumers across our state and ensuring a competitive insurance marketplace in California. I am confident that the wide range of knowledge and expertise of these members will advance our shared goals and build on the tremendous strides that we have accomplished to date.”

The Governor and California State Legislature created CAARP to provide auto insurance for motorists unable to obtain coverage in the private market due to their driving records or other extraordinary circumstances. One program within the plan -- the California Low Cost Auto Program -- aims to provide affordable liability insurance to income-eligible good drivers by assigning them to private insurers based upon the companies’ share of the auto insurance market. The CAARP Advisory Committee provides policy advice to the Commissioner on matters affecting the operation of its programs.

The California Organized Investment Network (COIN) was established in 1996 within the Department of Insurance to guide insurers on making financially sound investments that yield environmental benefits throughout California and social benefits within the State’s underserved communities. Commissioner Lara has prioritized COIN investments which drive affordable housing, improve healthcare access and equity, combat climate change, and encourage investors to utilize more diverse investment managers. The COIN Advisory Board provides guidance to the Commissioner and the COIN program to meet its mission and chief priorities.

As part of the Department’s first-ever Office of Insurance Diversity and Innovation created by Commissioner Lara, the Insurance Diversity Task Force advises the Department’s longstanding and nationally-recognized Insurance Diversity Program, which encourages insurers to expand access and economic inclusion with diverse business owners, such as a woman-owned, veteran-/disabled veteran-owned, historically disadvantaged community-owned, people with disabilities-owned, or LGBTQ+-owned businesses, as well as to advance diversity of insurance company corporate boards. The Task Force makes recommendations to the Commissioner regarding innovative ways to increase diversity within the insurance industry.

The next CAARP Advisory Committee meetings are scheduled for November 18 and 19, 2025, the next COIN Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for November 13, 2025, and the next Insurance Diversity Task Force meeting is scheduled for December 3, 2025.

More details are available at: www.insurance.ca.gov/boards Public members of the CAARP Advisory Committee receive $250 per meeting. All other positions are uncompensated.

Idaho — Idaho Department of Insurance Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver Notice of Public Hearings and Public Comment Period: The Idaho Department of Insurance (the Department) gives public notice of intent to apply for a four-year extension of its Section 1332 State Innovation Waiver, as well as intent to submit an amendment. The Department opens a public comment period on November 14, 2025. The comment period will close on December 22, 2025. All comments can be directed to the addressed contact below.

On October 1, 2025, the Department submitted this intent to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and to the United States Department of the Treasury for an extension and amendment of Idaho’s currently approved Section 1332 State Innovation waiver. The purpose of the waiver is to increase the affordability of individual health insurance in Idaho through a reinsurance program, and to expand coverage options for Medicaid-eligible individuals at or above 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL), through a new program referred to as “Covered Choice.” This integrated waiver approach will continue to reduce individual market QHP premiums by leveraging federal pass-through funding generated by Idaho's proven reinsurance program while advancing the Affordable Care Act's goals of expanded coverage and consumer choice. The proposed effective date for the waiver is January 1, 2027.

The waiver’s reinsurance program will continue to be implemented primarily by the Idaho Individual High Risk Reinsurance Pool (“the Pool”). Enrollees in individual coverage who are diagnosed with certain specified medical conditions are ceded to the Pool by the health insurer. The health insurer then pays a monthly premium to the Pool for that reinsurance. The program mitigates a portion of high-cost medical claims within the individual market, helping to stabilize and reduce the individual market health insurance premiums. The approval of this 1332 waiver extension is projected to reduce premiums by 10% in 2027 and onward, compared to premiums without the waiver in place.

Idaho House Bill 345, enacted in 2025, provides legislative authority and direction for this Section 1332 waiver amendment. The legislation requires that Idaho agencies submit necessary waivers, one of which authorizes establishing a new program to provide commercial coverage options to certain Medicaid-eligible individuals. This legislation allows individuals eligible for Medicaid under section 56-267, Idaho Code, who have a modified adjusted gross income at or above one hundred percent (100%) of the federal poverty level to receive the advance premium tax credit (APTC) to purchase a Qualified Health Plan through the Idaho health insurance exchange, Your Health Idaho. This amendment does not force anyone to purchase a Qualified Health Plan, and instead it only adds a coverage option for those households. Individuals may still choose to enroll in Medicaid.

The Department’s comprehensive public notice, Tribal notice, and the waiver application are available on the Department website at https://bit.ly/4oHLBrr   The Department is seeking public comment through public hearings, the interactive form available on the website, via fax, via email or traditional mail as indicated below. Public hearings will be held at the following locations:

Boise Hearing

Location: 450 W. State Street, Boise, ID 83702, Conference Room 9A

Date/Time: November 21, 2025 at 1:00PM MT

Virtual Meeting Link: Click here to access the meeting link: https://bit.ly/48kO5Gi

Meeting ID: 219 581 190 520 3

Passcode: BP7ZQ7kY

Coeur d’Alene Hearing

Location: 1120 Ironwood Drive, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814, Conference Room 1120

Date/Time: December 5, 2025 at 9:00AM PT/10:00AM MT

Virtual Meeting Link: Click here to access the meeting link: https://bit.ly/3Kb9c4L

Meeting ID: 241 718 692 991 5

Passcode: Pw6JJ763

Idaho Falls Hearing

Location: 150 Shoup Avenue, Idaho Falls, ID 83402, Conference Room – 2nd Floor

Date/Time: December 10, 2025 at 12:00PM MT

Virtual Meeting Link: Click here to access the meeting link: https://bit.ly/43Bn3rJ

Meeting ID: 257 954 651 173 9

Passcode: dG64f8fd

Interested parties may also request hard copies of the waiver packet or submit comments via email or traditional USPS mail to:

Idaho Department of Insurance

ATTN: Shannon Hohl

Market Oversight Bureau Chief

P.O. Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0043

Email to: DOI.Reform@doi.idaho.gov

Public Comments will be accepted until December 22, 2025.

Oregon — All Oregon Surplus Lines Association, approved surplus lines carriers, and qualified surplus lines producers: The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) proposes to issue a bulletin regarding an Affordable Housing Commercial Property and Liability Insurance Export List — Oregon SB 829 (2025). 

Purpose:

This bulletin provides guidance to surplus lines insurers, qualified surplus lines producers, and retail producers by identifying commercial insurance coverages generally unavailable in Oregon’s admitted market for risks associated with affordable housing, and allows coverage placement of the commercial coverages noted in this bulletin via surplus lines carriers without producers placing coverage on behalf of affordable housing entities first needing to perform a diligent search.

Public comments requested:

Public comment will be accepted for 30 days. Please submit public comment to DFR.Bulletin@dcbs.oregon.gov.

Last day for public comment: Monday, December 15, 2025. Comments must be received by ​5 ​p.m.

Click here to review proposed bulletin: https://bit.ly/3LERI1f

Washington — Ground Ambulance Services Rate Database Update: During the 2024 Legislative Session, Substitute Senate Bill 5986 (SSB 5986) added ground ambulance service balance billing protections to the Balance Billing Protection Act (BBPA). Local governmental entities with established or contracted rates for ground ambulance services must submit their rates to the OIC. RCW 48.49.205 requires the OIC to collect and publicly post these rates.  

 OIC has updated the dataset to reflect the most current local government established and contracted rates.

  If you’ve received this message, you are signed up to get updates on the local governmental entity ground ambulance established and contracted rates.