Around the PIA Western Alliance States – Week of November 24, 2025

Oregon — State of Oregon to host virtual public meeting on prescription drug prices Dec. 4: The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services’ (DCBS) Division of Financial Regulation (DFR) will be hosting a public hearing on prescription drug prices on Thursday, Dec. 4, at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. The public is invited to participate and here are some ways you can:

Let your voice be heard: DFR is asking for the public’s help before the 2025 public hearing. The division has set up a brief survey for consumers to share their stories about rising prescription drug prices. Drug prices play a major role in health care decisions of Oregonians, and the cost of prescription drugs have steadily increased. The division wants to hear your stories about the costs of prescription drugs and how it has affected you and your family. The previous testimonials are available on our website. Attend the hearing via Zoom: There will be opportunities for public comment, and Oregon legislators will serve as moderators for panel presentations. The legislators include Sen. Deb Patterson, Sen. Diane Linthicum, Rep. Emerson Levy, and Rep. Rob Nosse. We encourage you to testify at the hearing or provide written testimony. For more information about the hearing, email rx.prices@dcbs.oregon.gov.

DFR has invited speakers to talk about biosimilars and their marketing. A biosimilar is a biologic product that has been found to have no clinically meaningful differences from its comparable brand-name medication by the FDA. Those speakers include:

 Benjamin N. Rome (Harvard Medical School)

 Alex Keeton (Association for Accessible Medicines)

 Michael Reilly (Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines)

Invited presenters to speak about challenges and ideas for financing drugs that create issues for traditional insurance financing models include:

 Daniel Ollendorf (Institute for Clinical and Economic Review – ICER)

 Deborah “Dee” Weston (Oregon Health Authority)

 Sharon Lamberton (PhRMA)

You can learn more about the agenda on our website. There will be opportunities for public comment. Acting Oregon Insurance Commissioner TK Keen will facilitate the hearing. The Prescription Drug Price Transparency Act (ORS 646A.689) directed the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services to establish a transparency program to accept reports and disclose certain information from prescription drug manufacturers, health insurance carriers, and consumers on drug prices. The goal of the program is to provide accountability for prescription drug pricing through the notice and disclosure of specific drug costs and price information from pharmaceutical manufacturers, health insurers, and consumers.

Washington — Fire loss reporting: We adopted the fire loss reporting rule (R2025-03) on November 18, 2025.  The rule takes effect on December 19, 2025. 

In 2025, the Legislature passed a fire loss reporting bill, Second Substitute Senate Bill (2SSB) 5419 (Chapter 225, Laws of 2025), which requires insurers to report fire losses to the OIC instead of to the Washington State Patrol. This rule implements SSB 5419 and assists insurance companies with fire loss data reporting requirements. A new subsection is added to WAC 284-20-010 directing authorized insurers to our website for instructions on reporting fire losses.

For more information, including the adopted rule (CR-103) and the concise explanatory statement, please visit the rule's webpage.

Washington — Service contract and protection product guarantee proposed rule posted: We have released the proposed rule language on R 2025-09. The rule implements HB 1006 and clarifies what a motor vehicle service contract is and which contracts must be filed with the insurance commissioner in accordance with RCW 48.110.073.

We scheduled a public hearing on the rule:

When: January 6, 2026 at 1:00 p.m.

Where: Virtual via Zoom, please register in advance.

Comments on the proposed rule language can be submitted between November 19, 2025 at 12:00 a.m. and January 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Please send written comments to rulescoordinator@oic.wa.gov.

For more information, including the proposed rule language (CR-102), please visit the rule's webpage.

Washington — Captive insurer regulatory updates prepublication rule draft posted: This rule would implement House Bill 1842, which allows public utility districts to form, own, or use captive insurers. The commissioner is also considering rulemaking to give captive insurers more flexibility in their audited financial statement submissions and to clarify their reporting requirements.

We released a prepublication draft for the captive insurer regulatory updates rule (R 2025-14).

The comment period for the prepublication draft began on Wednesday, November 19 at 12:00 a.m. and closes at 11:59 p.m. on December 3, 2025. Please send comments to rulescoordinator@oic.wa.gov.

For more information, including the text of the prepublication draft, please visit the rule's webpage.

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. 

Washington — R 2025-06 Supplemental long-term care insurance proposed rule posted: We have released the proposed rule language (CR-102) on R 2025-06. The rule considers adding a new chapter to Title 284 Washington Administrative Code to implement ESSB 5291 and to ensure all affected parties understand their rights and obligations under the new law. The commissioner is also proposing amendments to Chapter 284-16 WAC, Chapter 284-17 WAC, Chapter 284-23 WAC, Chapter 284-30 WAC, Chapter 284-30A WAC, Chapter 284-43 WAC, Chapter 284-66 WAC, Chapter 284-83 WAC, and Chapter 284-170 WAC, which are necessary to implement ESSB 5291.

We scheduled a public hearing on the rule:

When: January 6, 2026 at 10:00 AM 

Where: Virtual (Zoom)

Comments on the proposed rule language can be submitted from November 19, 2025 at 12:00 a.m. until January 7, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Please send comments to rulescoordinator@oic.wa.gov.

For more information, including the proposed rule language, please visit the rule's webpage.

Washington — Premium change transparency second prepublication draft posted: We released a second prepublication draft for the premium change transparency rule, R2024-07. The premium change transparency rules were adopted in 2023 in Chapter 284-30A WAC. These rules outlined administrative regulations to achieve transparency for policyholders receiving premium increases from insurers at renewal on insurance policies like residential property and private passenger auto. The insurance commissioner is proposing rules to delay the implementation date of phase two until 2029. The purpose of the delay is for the insurance commissioner to collect additional data from insurers, consumers, and other interested parties on the effectiveness of phase one of the rule, adopted in WAC 284-30A-050, including the number of consumers who have requested premium change transparency from their insurer and data on the implementation challenges from insurers as they prepare for phase two.

The comment period for the second prepublication draft began on November 20, 2025 at 12:00 a.m. and is open until December 5, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Please submit comments to rulescoordinator@oic.wa.gov.

For more information, including the text of the prepublication draft, please visit the rule's webpage.

Washington — Kuderer orders Thin Blue Line Insurance to stop selling unauthorized insurance in Washington: Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer on Wednesday ordered Thin Blue Line Benefits to stop operating as an unlicensed insurance company and selling insurance in Washington.

Thin Blue Line, based in Texas and operated by Anna Reed and Guineth Reed, marketed and sold unauthorized health insurance products to members of the National Fraternal Order of Police.

Kuderer’s office opened an investigation into Thin Blue Line in July of 2025 after receiving a complaint that the company failed to process health insurance claims. It was one of 41 complaints filed by retired state and local law enforcement officers with similar allegations.