WeVote
Log In

Bill

Bill

SB 5262

Correcting obsolete or erroneous references in statutes administered by the insurance commissioner.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Claudia Kauffman and 4 co-sponsors

SB 5262 updates insurance statutes to protect provider data, require aggregate public reporting, and correct references, aligning with federal law and current practice.

Effective date 7/27/2025*.
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 5262

SB 5262 — Summary (Chapter 243, 2025 Laws)

Status: Enacted (Governor signed 05/12/2025). Effective date: July 27, 2025.

Purpose

SB 5262 is a housekeeping and technical bill for statutes administered by the Washington State Insurance Commissioner. Its stated goals are to correct obsolete or erroneous statutory references, repeal defunct provisions, align state policy with federal law and current interpretations, adjust timelines, protect sensitive patient data, and make other technical corrections across the Insurance Code.

Key provisions and changes

  • Public Records Act (PRA) exemptions

    • Removes a PRA exemption that protected materials obtained by the Commissioner for a 2017 individual health insurance market stability program and one-time study (a now-defunct provision).
    • Modifies how the Commissioner handles data obtained from health care providers who operate “direct practices.” Under House amendments adopted during floor action:
    • Most data reported by direct-practice providers to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) is made confidential and exempt from public disclosure, except that providers’ names and business addresses remain public.
    • The Commissioner must publish aggregated information on the number of patients served and average direct fees in appropriate banded ranges so individual practices are not identifiable.
    • (The bill generally updates and reorganizes the list of insurance/financial information exempt from disclosure in RCW 42.56.400.)

  • Reporting and data aggregation

    • Clarifies and updates several statutory reporting requirements administered by the Commissioner (including annual data submissions by carriers and certain one-time study requirements). As enacted, the bill preserves the Commissioner’s obligation to prepare and publish aggregate medical malpractice closed-claims summaries (House amendment restored this requirement).

  • Tax refunds and administrative authority (timing/technical updates)

    • The introduced version changed the statute governing when a person may request a refund of taxes or fees collected by the Commissioner. (Committee/house floor activity considered restoring existing timing and the authority to establish a revolving fund to facilitate refunds; readers should consult the enrolled bill text for the final, operative language.)

  • Insurance product and coverage technical corrections

    • Updates multiple statutes related to motor vehicle insurance, fixed-payment products, dental-only plans, charitable gift annuity business exemptions, guaranteed asset protection waivers, and health carrier benefit mandates (for example, prior statutes referring to hearing instrument coverage were clarified/aligned with federal law and current practice). The bill repeals a number of defunct RCW sections.

Who is affected

  • Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC): statutory clarifications, reporting obligations, PRA handling.
  • Health carriers and insurers: updated reporting and disclosure rules; some product/coverage cross-references amended.
  • Direct primary-care (direct practice) providers: data submitted to OIC will generally be treated as confidential (except names/addresses); public reporting will be aggregated/banded.
  • Consumers and the public: improved data protection for provider-level business information; continued public access to certain aggregated comparison data.
  • Charitable organizations, insurers, and entities that write gift annuities or sell guaranteed asset protection waivers: fee and exemption provisions updated or clarified.

Timeline and procedure

  • Introduced: 01/14/2025.
  • Passed Senate and House with amendments; House amendments concurred by Senate 04/18/2025.
  • Delivered to Governor 04/23/2025; signed 05/12/2025.
  • Effective date: July 27, 2025.

For exact statutory wording and the final placement of specific changes, consult the enrolled bill text (Substitute Senate Bill 5262, as amended by the House) and the amended RCW sections listed in the bill.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

Sign in to ask a question.