Timber River Connections now serving as Lewis County SHIBA sponsor

07/24/2025

CHEHALIS, Wash. – As of July 1,  Timber River Connections is serving as the new Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) sponsor for Lewis County.

A public service offered by the Washington state Office of Insurance Commissioner, SHIBA volunteers have been helping people with Medicare for more than 46 years. Over 230 trained volunteers statewide provide free, impartial and confidential Medicare counseling and education to people in their communities. They assist people with Medicare plans, prescription drug access, fraud and abuse, and more. 

“I’m…

OIC staff recovers more than $100M for consumers in the 2023-25 biennium

07/07/2025

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer’s office recovered more than $100 million for consumers experiencing insurance issues during the 2023-25 biennium.

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s Consumer Advocacy Program closed out the biennium with $100,801,393.86 in recovered funds. That figure came from more than 200,000 consumer inquiries received and answered, though not every case involved a recovery; some inquiries are informational.

“Our mission is consumer protection and our staff is dedicated to helping Washingtonians solve their…

Study on liability insurance for adult family homes finds market in reasonable shape

07/03/2025

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A report submitted to the Washington State Legislature (PDF 10.20MB) in late June details the state of the liability insurance market for adult family homes in Washington, finding the market to be largely sustainable but providing suggestions for increasing its appeal to insurance companies.  

Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer’s office (OIC) worked with Davies Actuarial, Audit & Consulting on the report, which was requested by the Legislature in the 2024 session.

Adult family homes (AFHs), as referenced in the report, are homes…

Kuderer convenes advisory board to look at how insurers use artificial intelligence and its impact on consumers

07/01/2025

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer convened her first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Advisory Board (PDF 150.40KB) meeting in Seattle yesterday. The new board was created to look at the insurance industry’s use of AI and make recommendations on policy development, regulatory oversight, and consumer education efforts. It holds no regulatory or enforcement authority.

“We know that AI is already used throughout our insurance and health care industries,” said Kuderer. “The goal of our new advisory board is to ensure Washington state continues to be a place for…