LIFE INSURANCE 2018

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that insurance companies cover 100 percent of the cost of preventive colonoscopies for adults older than age 50. Of course you’ll need to see a provider who is part of your plan’s provider network. However, despite this new reform, we do hear consumers who’ve had a routine preventive colonoscopy only to have their insurer process their claim as “cost-shared diagnostic care,” which is subject to their annual deductible and coinsurance. We also sometimes hear from consumers who receive a substantial surgical bill when a polyp is discovered and removed during a preventive colonoscopy. The Affordable Care Act and other federal guidelines protect consumers from extra charges for polyp removal during a preventive colonoscopy. If you receive a bill for polyp removal, you should file a complaint with us and we’ll help you get those charges reversed. If you are diagnosed with colon cancer, any previous related symptoms may result in your provider processin...

The Insurance Commissioner’s Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program is Washington state’s Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP). A federally funded and volunteer-based program, SHIBA/SMP volunteers provide education on how to prevent, detect and report Medicare fraud. Medicare is the national health care plan for all U.S. citizens age 65 and older. It also covers people younger than age 65 who receive Social Security Disability Income and people who are diagnosed with certain medical conditions. In Washington state, SHIBA/SMP volunteers help protect seniors and fight health care fraud, leaving more money in the system for everyone. Our state’s volunteers educate beneficiaries on how to avoid becoming victims of health care fraud, and how to report abuse or fraud, related to their Medicare benefits. We all pay a price for Medicare fraud, waste and abuse, which contributes significantly to rising health care costs. There are three things you can do to help fight Medicare fra...

This week is National Consumer Protection Week and the OIC is one of the many government agencies that helps protect consumers from financial harm. A huge part of the work we do is helping and educating consumers about all things insurance, from answering questions to looking into complaints against insurance companies, providing help with filing appeals for claim and coverage denials and everything in between. We recently launched a live chat feature to help consumers get answers to their quick questions about insurance and their rights. Consumers can chat with one of our consumer advocates Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. If your question needs more attention, we will direct you to the right place to get the help you need. Consumers can reach us: By phone at 1-800-562-6900 Online Through our social media channels  File a complaint against an insurance company or professional. Our complaint system is optimized for mobile devices.  

This week is National Consumer Protection Week and the OIC is one of the many government agencies that helps protect consumers from financial harm. Consumer protection is part of our mission, which is reflected in the way we do business. Our consumer advocates can help: Answer questions about home, auto, health, life, annuities, business and other insurance.  Understand your insurance rights, including your health insurance appeal rights and the process.  Look into complaints against insurance companies.  Provide you with information about your insurance options.  Verify if an agent, agency, or company is authorized to sell insurance in Washington state.  In 2015, our consumer advocates fielded 6,130 consumer complaints and helped recover more than $9.1 million in insurance billings, refunds and other claims-related issues for Washington citizens. Read more about the ways we helped consumers in 2015 . We share information of interest to insurance consumers on th...