WA| Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) issued this notice to remind health issuers of federal and state protections for American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) enrollees and Indian health care providers (IHPs), following complaints about denials, underpayments, improper cost sharing, and credentialing-related delays; it reiterates that IHPs have a federal right of recovery at least equal to the highest non-governmental payment rate, that qualified health plans (including Washington CSR Tier 3 plan variations) may not impose or recoup cost sharing for covered services provided by or referred through IHPs, and that issuers must treat Indian health system entities as eligible providers without imposing their own credentialing barriers, accept valid claim formats, and pay before IHP funds are used because Indian health programs are the payer of last resort.
See Notice sent on May 21, 2026 Below: