News Archive

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has extended two emergency orders. His order requiring health insurers to waive copays and deductibles for any consumer requiring testing for coronavirus (COVID-19) and his order protecting consumers from receiving surprise bills for lab fees related to medically necessary diagnostic testing for COVID-19 are both extended until Feb.21, 2021. 

Kreidler's order waiving cost-sharing applies to all state-regulated health insurance plans and short-term, limited-duration medical plans. The order on surprise billing…

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued a fine against Cambia Health Solutions, Inc., parent company of Regence BlueShield, Asuris Northwest Health and Commencement Bay Risk Management Insurance Co., for failure to notify his office about the arrest of the incoming CEO of the company that it sought an affiliation with.    

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina filed its intention to affiliate with the Cambia companies in April 2019. Its CEO, Dr. Patrick Conway, was to be named the head of Cambia. In June 2019, police arrested Dr. Conway in…

OLYMPIA, Wash. – As the elected insurance commissioner for Washington state for two decades, Mike Kreidler has continued to call out the unfairness of insurers’ use of credit scoring and has requested a ban twice, first in 2001 and later in 2010 during the economic recession. 

Now, as consumers struggle with the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, he believes banning credit scoring for insurance is critical. 

His proposal, Senate Bill 5010, is joint request legislation with Gov. Jay Inslee and will be heard at 8 a.m. on Jan. 14 before the Senate Business…

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler extended his emergency order directing all state-regulated health insurers to make additional coverage changes to aid consumers during the coronavirus pandemic. His order is in effect until Feb. 7 and requires health insurers to: