News Archive

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…

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…

OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer’s office issued more than $839,750 in fines for insurance law violations in the second half of May and the first half of June. That included a $275,000 fine for an illegal health care sharing ministry, a $300,000 fine for an illegal service contract provider and $45,000 for an unlicensed surplus lines provider.

Kuderer issued a cease-and-desist order and a fine of $275,000 against ClearShare Health and its associated companies Clearwater Benefits…

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – As of July 1,  Whatcom Council on Aging, which operates the Bellingham Senior Activity Center, is the new Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) sponsor for Whatcom County.

A public service offered by the Washington state Office of Insurance Commissioner, SHIBA volunteers have been helping people on 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 about Medicare plans, prescription drug access, fraud and abuse, and…