This bill amends RCW 48.19.010 to change insurers’ filing obligations. It requires insurers to file with the insurance commissioner their manuals of classification, manual of rules and rates, and any modifications for disability insurance before using them, subject to the exceptions in RCW 48.43.733 or other specific statutes or federal law. For experience-rated group disability income insurance, the bill requires those filings to include the experience rating formulas, all applicable rating factors, and credibility formulas. The filings must be detailed enough to (1) show whether a group is fully or partially credible and (2) allow the insurance commissioner to replicate the premium rates for an experience-rated group when given that group’s experience and demographics. This is a modification of existing law that creates a procedural filing requirement (not a new crime or penalty change). It affects insurers issuing disability insurance and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. The bill was prefiled 01/09/25 and read for the first time 01/13/25. The provided text includes only Section 1 amending RCW 48.19.010; it does not define terms such as “experience,” “demographics,” “fully or partially credible,” or the specific scope of “applicable rating factors” and “credibility formulas,” and it is unclear whether the bill contains additional sections.

If enacted, insurers that sell experience-rated group disability income policies would have to send the insurance commissioner their rate manuals and any changes before using them, and those filings must include the full experience‑rating formulas, all rating factors, and credibility formulas in enough detail for the commissioner to confirm whether a group is fully or partially credible and to replicate the premium calculation for a group given its experience and demographics. Practically, this means insurers will face more detailed filing work and documentation requirements and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner will get stronger ability to review and verify how group premiums are calculated. The groups most affected are insurers (who will likely see higher compliance costs and greater regulatory scrutiny) and the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (which will have more material to review and may need more resources to do so). Experience‑rated groups (employers) could see their claims and demographic data used in more transparent rate reviews, but the bill text does not define key terms like “experience,” “demographics,” or what makes a group “fully or partially credible,” nor does it show whether other related provisions exist, so some implementation details remain unclear.