There’s a game of sorts on a state of Oregon website “for the classroom” that shows the value of home insurance or renter’s insurance.

You guess just how much it will cost to replace items in the home. It even comes with the theme music to the television show “The Price is Right.” Common insurance terms and rights of consumers are explained.

The point is obvious. It pays to have insurance.

But it is missing any hint of the new, profound problem for homeowners, renters and property owners.

If a house or apartment can’t be insured, it’s going to cause a cascade of housing problems in Oregon. That already begun.

Oregon has been classified in the past as one of the more affordable places for homeowners insurance. But insurance premiums have gone up about 30% from 2021 to 2023. In some places costs have doubled or more than doubled. Homes in La Pine that back up to the forest are facing some of the higher increases in the region, state Rep. Emerson Levy, D-Bend, told us.

The data typically focuses on homeowner’s insurance. Those are not the only insurance costs that are rising. It’s even worrisome for owners of buildings with more affordable housing. How do they keep it affordable when their premiums go up, too?

Levy; Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland and Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang met with industry representatives and others about the issue this week.

So what might they do?

Levy said more might be done to encourage and reward people who take action to reduce fire risk on their property. She told us the purpose of the meeting was to get a better understanding of what sorts of properties were being denied insurance and figure out what the industry says would help maintain coverage.

“We want to bring in industry early so what we propose in the next session is workable on the market,” Levy said.

A key issue will be: If a property makes improvements and they are certified in some way will the state require an insurer to offer a discount? How much?

Sen. Golden had a bill in the 2024 session that would have set up a program like that, Senate Bill 1511. It died in committee.

Levy also told us after this editorial originally appeared online that Oregon’s last ditch insurance coverage, which is for consumers who can’t find coverage elsewhere may be altered as well. It may change from actual cash value coverage, which would replace items based on their depreciation over time. It may be switched to replacement cost value coverage. That would be a better deal.

Oregon does not need the inability to find affordable insurance to add to its housing troubles.