Washington
Health insurance costs to rise about 12% for WA small employers • Washington State Standard
Health insurance costs in Washington for small businesses and their employees will increase an average of 11.9% in 2025, according to the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner.
This marks the highest increase for small employers in the last decade.
Nearly 220,000 people will be affected by the new rates starting in January. Ten insurers were approved to sell group plans to small employers, with the largest increase going to Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon at 21.9%, impacting around 6,000 people.
“Health insurance costs have been the number one problem for small businesses for 38 years running, and these increases will only make it worse,” said Patrick Connor, Washington state director for the National Federation of Independent Business.
Nationwide, a little over half of small employers offer employees health insurance.
“It’s a tough decision for small businesses to make about whether or not to offer their employees health coverage. It’s a promising sign that our state has over a dozen insurers offering small employers plans,” said Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler.
The nation’s average annual premium for an individual employee is $1,368, up 6% from 2023, according to the health care research nonprofit KFF. That average rises to $6,296 for employees with family coverage, up 24% over the last five years.
“High costs are often passed along to customers, driving up the price of goods and services for the average American. We need action to address this issue and ensure small businesses can continue to be the engine that drives our economy forward,” said Sammi Kerley, a small business advisor with Small Business for America’s Future, in a press release from Fair Health Prices Washington, a consumer health care advocacy coalition.
Employers pay an average of $7,584 on top of their employees’ share for health coverage for individuals, the KFF figures show.
Kreidler said his office sent a report to the Legislature in August with policy options to help make health care more affordable in Washington.
“We’re hopeful we can improve the underlying factors that have pushed costs up,” Kreidler said.
WASHINGTON TWP., N.J. — Officers in Washington Township, said they finished a DoorDash food delivery after arresting the driver who had warrants out for his arrest.
Body camera video shows officers stepping in to deliver the food themselves, a move the department in southern New Jersey later shared on its Facebook page.
“I thought something happened. Oh my God, I got so scared,” said the customer when she answered the door.
The DoorDash customer, seen on police body cam video, was instantly relieved and appreciative upon learning why officers were at her door.
“Arrested your driver, but, yeah, we delivered your food,” one of the officers said.
It turns out a Washington Township police officer stopped the DoorDash driver during routine patrols in front of a high school over the weekend.
“He made a stop on it for a violation,” said Washington Township Police Chief Patrick Gurcsik.
But then, Chief Gurcsik said the officer learned the driver had warrants out for his arrest in another county.
“He made the officers aware that he had two DoorDash meals in the car that he was in the middle of delivering,” Gurcsik said.
The officers went from cuffing the driver to ringing a doorbell to finish his delivery.
“I never heard of anything like that in the South Jersey area. It’s sort of a first for us here in Washington Township, definitely,” Gurcsik said.
Police finish DoorDash delivery after arresting driver in New Jersey
It’s happened in other places, too, including in New Mexico last summer, when a motorcycle cop delivered someone’s Chick-fil-A order after arresting the driver.
“Hello, sir, got your DoorDash. Oh, thank you,” the officer said. “He’s a good kid, give him five stars. He just didn’t take care of a simple insurance ticket.”
And officers over in Arizona made a similar arrest during a traffic stop and were seen on body camera finishing the delivery.
“Your GrubHub, still delivered your pizza,” the officer said.
“We definitely serve the community in more ways than one,” Gurcsik said.
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SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.
King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.
SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement
Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.
“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”
Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.
Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.
The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.
The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.
The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.
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