Eating Soup with a Fork – TPA Licensing not the Right Tool

This past legislative session, the Washington House of Representatives considered regulation of third party administrators (TPAs) as recommended by the state Insurance Commissioner. After some confusion over what the Commissioner intended and what should be amended, the bill died a quiet death in committee. Policymakers quickly discovered that TPA regulation had become a surrogate for indirectly addressing…

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Boring but Important

Finding, reading, and understanding the thousands of regulations that apply to health plans can drive a sane person to drink Flint, Michigan water. But not me. My sanity has already been questioned given that I intentionally spent a lot of money to go to school so I could learn the discipline of memorizing convoluted regulations…

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Insurance Commissioner Proposes TPA Regulation

The Washington Insurance Commissioner has requested legislation for registration of third party administrators to protect consumers. Third party administrators (TPAs) come in all shapes and sizes and just as many flavors. Insurers typically provide most services for administration of its own health plans. Many Insurers also sell administrative services to self-funded plans which would make…

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Insurance Commissioner Explains AHP Settlement

The ranking member of the Washington State House Health Care Committee, Representative Joe Schmick, read my recent association health plan (AHP) post and shared the Insurance Commissioner’s letter explaining the agency’s recent actions. In his letter, the Commissioner addresses the administrative law judge’s decision disapproving the agency’s rating requirements. Disagreement over bona fide status was…

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