News Archive

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Twelve health insurers are approved to sell plans in Washington's 2023 Exchange health insurance market. The average rate increase is 8.18%.  Plans from two additional health insurers (Asuris Northwest Health and Providence Health Plan) are still under review for sale outside of the Exchange.

Key drivers behind this year's premium changes are increased utilization, including pent-up demand for elective surgeries and changes to what payments the insurers either owed or received under the Affordable Care Act's risk adjustment program.  This program stabilizes the…

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Ricardo Carmona and Saul Perez both recently pled guilty to insurance fraud in Yakima County Superior Court.

Ricardo Carmona, of Yakima and Saul Perez, of Wapato were recently convicted of insurance fraud after a criminal investigation by the Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Carmona and Perez both pled guilty to the charges of false claims or proof, attempted first degree theft, and criminal conspiracy. They were each ordered to pay $600 in court fees and sentenced to three months electronic home monitoring.  …

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Ivan Kriger was recently found guilty of insurance fraud for a second time in Spokane County Superior Court.  

Ivan Kriger (also known as Evaun Syrah Solomon), of Spokane, was recently convicted of insurance fraud after Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s Criminal Investigations Unit (CIU) completed a second criminal investigation into his filing of false insurance claims. Kriger pled guilty to another charge of filing false claims after he was found guilty by a jury earlier this year. 

In this case, CIU’s investigation found that Kriger…

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and American Property Casualty Insurance Association have agreed to a final order  in response to the recent Thurston County Superior Court ruling on Kreidler’s credit scoring rule. Kreidler will not appeal the court’s decision. 

Thurston County Superior Court Judge Indu Thomas had previously issued an oral ruling  stating that Kreidler’s office did not violate the Administrative Procedure Act and that the commissioner’s actions were not…