Call for benchmark data
The benchmark data call is conducted annually and requires the largest health insurance carriers doing business in Washington State to submit data to the Health Care Authority (HCA). This data will be used to measure what we are collectively spending on health care in our state and if we have met our benchmark for that year—in other words, whether the health system has been successful at reining in spending. The benchmark is a specific rate of spending growth that carriers and providers will be held to and should try to stay under to make health care more affordable.
Learn more about the Health Care Cost Transparency Board!
2025 benchmark data call
The Cost Board is currently collecting 2023–2024 data. Submissions are due April 18, 2025.
2025 resources
Materials for health insurance carriers and state agencies
- Cover letter
- Carrier reporting methodologies: Explains age and sex risk adjustment, pooled variance, and confidence interval of cost growth calculation for carrier reporting.
- Frequently asked questions: Answers FAQ from health insurance carriers and state agencies.
- Data submission template: Instructs submitters on how to organize the benchmark data so that the data submission process can go smoothly.
- Technical manual: Defines terms, explores taxonomy codes, and provides further guidance on requested benchmark information.
Materials for providers
- FAQ for providers: Answers frequently asked questions from providers.
- Provider reporting methodologies: Explains age and sex risk adjustment, pooled variance, and confidence interval of cost growth calculation for provider reporting.
- Provider reporting methodologies sample calculation: Shows a step-by-step example of calculation methods for provider reporting.
How to review old resources
Contact the Cost Board’s data team for resources from previous data calls.
2024 benchmark data call
In the second year of the benchmark data call, the board collected data from 2020–2022. Submissions were due to HCA on May 15, 2024. This was the first year that data was measured against the benchmark.
2024 resources
Materials for carriers
- Webinar: 2024 benchmark data call submissions for carriers Watch the webinar recording (March 5, 2024).
Materials for providers
- Webinar: Cost growth benchmark reporting for providers. Watch the webinar recording (June 6, 2024).
2022 benchmark data call
In 2022, the first year of the benchmark data call, the board collected several years of data to establish a baseline. The historic benchmark trends are published in the 2023 report.
- Read the report Health care spending growth in Washington, 2017–2019
- Read the report summary