At least in Oregon it looks like the "Insurance" companies collude to ratchet up the rates. They take turns increasing rates each year (and we have to scramble to get a slightly lower rate from a "competing" company). Rinse and repeat the next year.
That way they can get major rate increases over a three year period, where it would be very difficult to sell the same increase to the "publicly accountable" Insurance Commission who oversees all this monkey business on a year by yer basis.
