LIFE INSURANCE 2018

Health care reform - otherwise known as the Affordable Care Act - gives you the right to access certain preventive medical services with no cost-sharing, including co-pays or coinsurance even if you haven't met your deductible. The list of free services includes immunizations, cancer screenings, depression screening and much, much more. See the full list at Healthcare.gov . There's also specific services covered for women and even for children. If you've been charged for a preventive service that you believe should've been free, give our health insurance experts a call at 1-800-562-6900 or email us at askmike@oic.wa.gov We've heard from some consumers who have had their free colonoscopy, but were later charged for the removal and testing of a polyp. Recent guidelines from the federal government should protect you from these charges, but if you have concerns, please contact us. We'll help you understand your rights to these services and others.

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) ran a series of stories earlier this month about how prepared Northwesterners are for a massive earthquake (or not, in many cases). Some experts say a magnitude 9.0 quake off our coast could hit at anytime. OPB profiled a series of families who tried living off their earthquake supplies for a weekend to as a trial run. The Red Cross recommends storing 14 gallons of water and 42 meals per person in the event of a megaquake. That’s a lot of supplies.  Photo courtesy of FEMA.  A sports car lies crushed by earthquake debris in a Seattle parking lot in  Seattle on March 4, 2001. In addition to being prepared for the disaster itself, homeowners should be prepared for the aftermath. Step one is talking to your insurance agent about what your policies will cover. Earthquakes are not automatically covered by a standard homeowner’s policy, most insurers require an endorsement or a separate policy. And you likely won’t be able to buy it after the fac...

We need your help refining the information we provide on the  individuals and families section  of our health insurance webpages.  You can help by  taking a short survey  by May 28. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete and your responses are anonymous. We will use your feedback to improve the way the information on the pages is organized, so it is more user-friendly and easy to navigate. Thanks for your participation!

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner is hiring two entry-level positions atour Tumwater headquarters to help consumers with insurance. Insurance Technician 1: This is in our Consumer Protection Division and answers calls on our consumer hotline. This position triages calls to consumer advocacy, producer licensing and Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA), explains basic insurance rules and helps consumers and industry users troubleshoot problems with our online applications.  Health Insurance Advisor 1: This is in our Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program and is a temporary job through December 2015. This position counsels consumers in person and on the phone about health insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, including screening them for eligibility and enrolling them in subsidized programs. The person in this position delivers presentations to community groups, trains volunteers and attends monthly meetings around the state.  Find more ...

Now that open enrollment is over, we want to fine-tune the individuals and families section of our health insurance webpages.  You can help by taking a short survey . It takes less than 15 minutes to complete and your responses are anonymous. We will use your feedback to better organize the information that we provide to consumers. The survey is open until May 19. Thanks for your help making our website easier to use!

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner congratulates King County Deputy Prosecutor Andy Hamilton on his Award of Excellence from the national Coalition Against Insurance Fraud. Hamilton works with the Insurance Commissioner’s Special Investigations Unit to prosecute criminal insurance fraud cases in King County. Hamilton has prosecuted more than 55 cases involving more than $5.5 million in losses, including convicted felons Edward Callow and Kevin Kolenda . Hamilton, who has worked as an assistant U.S. attorney and Deputy Prosecutor for more than 30 years, works in the King County Prosecutor’s economic crimes unit and was a police officer for four years before he earned his law degree. Andy Hamilton accepts an Award of Excellence from the national  Coalition Against Insurance Fraud  from Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler on May 5. 

The OIC is hiring a highly skilled Senior Health Policy Advisor to acts as Commissioner Kreidler's primary advisor on all issues related to health care and health insurance issues, including the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This position is the Commissioner's trusted advisor and designee on ACA policy matters and other matters related to health insurance. This position is responsible for developing policy options for the resolution of health insurance issues. Once executive decisions are made concerning the purpose and scope of an initiative, this position will develop programs or initiatives reflected in work products such as reports, legislation or regulations. Duties of this position include: Acts as the first point-of-contact for consumer advocates and consumer/labor groups on matters pertaining to the ACA and other health insurance issues;  Coordinates with the Governor's Office, Health Benefits Exchange (HBE), HCA and others on ACA implementation issues and other hea...