About our legislative priorities

Commissioner Kuderer is requesting several bills for the 2027 legislative session that address affordability, transparency, and access to insurance coverage as part of her commitment to protect the public through fair, transparent, and consistent oversight of the insurance industry.

These include proposals to expand access to primary care, protect consumers from fraud and lower the cost of auto and homeowners insurance, increase risk transparency, and reduce nonrenewals and cancellations of homeowners policies due to wildfire risk.

Improving access to primary care

Rising health insurance rates are driven in part by more people getting care and the increasing cost of that care. Helping people stay healthy starts with reliable access to primary care. This legislation would begin the work to design a new model for financing and paying for primary care.

The proposal directs the OIC to work with the Governor, the Health Care Authority, the Department of Health, and Tribal leaders in consultation with interested parties to design and develop this model and submit a report and proposed implementation plan to the legislature by June 30, 2028.

Protecting consumers when insurers break the law

This proposal would give our office the authority to order restitution for consumers harmed by an insurance company’s violation of Washington state insurance laws. Consumers should not have to go to court to recover money from an insurance company or other regulated entity if they break the law. This proposal ensures all consumers are treated fairly and made whole when they have been wronged.

It would also fix a loophole in state law that gives favorable treatment to certain types of insurance companies that break the law. This proposal gives us the authority to assess fines against insurers for each violation of state insurance laws, better aligning the fine schedule for all regulated insurance entities in Washington.

Protecting consumers by stopping abusive assignment of benefits

A post-loss assignment of benefits (AOB) is an agreement that allows a third party, such as a contractor, to take over a consumer’s insurance claim and negotiate directly with the insurance company. While these agreements can appear helpful, they have been misused in other states, particularly after a natural disaster, because they block the homeowner from the process.

This proposal would proactively protect consumers from the problems other states have experienced by prohibiting post-loss AOBs. It is intended to reduce confusion, prevent harmful practices, and maintain a fair and accessible claims process for consumers.

This proposal protects consumers by:

  • Ensuring policyholders keep control of their insurance benefits and decisions related to their claims.
  • Helping prevent inflated repair costs and unnecessary litigation that can occur when third parties assume control of a claim.
  • Reducing the risk of increased premiums that can result from widespread misuse of AOBs.
  • Supporting more transparent and direct communication between consumers, contractors, and insurers.

Modernizing fraud laws to better protect consumers

Washington’s current insurance fraud laws aren’t keeping up with complex fraud schemes that cost consumers and businesses billions every year. Some estimates suggest that 20 cents of every premium dollar goes to paying for the cost of insurance fraud. This proposal would strengthen protections for consumers by recognizing they can be victims of insurance fraud and making them eligible for criminal restitution when the person who harmed them is convicted.

This proposal would define “insurance fraud” to include the criminal acts that various bad actors taking advantage of insurance consumers engage in, such as billing for services or equipment never provided, identity theft, and mishandling premiums. This expands the scope of harmful schemes that can be investigated and prosecuted.

It would hold fraudsters accountable by:

  • Making each criminal act a separate class B felony offense.
  • Setting a 10-year time frame for filing charges so that the most egregious criminals can be held accountable for schemes they may have been perpetrating over years, which gives prosecutors more time to act. 

This bill is a step toward a more transparent, accountable insurance system, where consumers don’t pay the price for fraud.

Helping you understand natural catastrophe risk and insurance costs

Insurance companies are increasingly using catastrophe risk models and scores to decide whether to cover your home and how much your premium will be.

This proposal would increase transparency in how insurers make rating and coverage decisions. It would reduce confusion and uncertainty for consumers and support fairer pricing by making sure risk scores are accurate and up to date.

This proposal would protect consumers by:

  • Getting you the facts about your home’s wildfire risk. Your insurance company would have to share with you the exact scores they use and explain the key reasons behind them so you can see why your rates might be high.
  • Giving you information on how to improve your risk from wildfires. Insurers would also need to give clear, easy-to-follow tips for reducing risk, like wildfire-safe landscaping or home upgrades, and how doing them could lower your score (and potentially save you money).
  • Recognizing your investments in mitigation. If you’ve already made home improvements to reduce your risk of wildfire or other natural catastrophes, like installing metal roofing or removing nearby brush, you’d be able to challenge your insurance company’s score if it doesn’t reflect those changes.

Reducing nonrenewal and cancellations of insurance policies due to wildfire risk

Wildfire losses are increasing across Washington. Many homeowners, especially in high-risk areas, are seeing their insurance policies canceled or not renewed, or facing challenges finding coverage because insurers view their homes as too risky.

The Strengthen Washington Homes Program would address this by creating a voluntary grant program to help homeowners retrofit their homes using the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) Wildfire Prepared Home standards.

This proposal:

  • Gives homeowners a clear path to meeting nationally recognized, science-backed standards.
  • Reduces the chances of losing insurance coverage after making mitigation improvements.
  • Provides financial support to low-income, underserved communities experiencing higher nonrenewal and cancellation rates.
  • Helps make homes safer and more resilient during wildfire conditions.
  • May improve insurers’ willingness to continue offering coverage in high-risk areas once more homes meet IBHS standards.
  • Prevents insurance deserts, where homeowners could have zero options to protect their homes.

When more homes meet these wildfire safety standards, insurers may view communities as less risky. This can help reduce nonrenewals and cancellations, improve access to affordable coverage, and strengthen community resilience against future wildfires.