OIC Answers on Insurance

Over the last year or so, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner has fined three large health insurance companies (Regence, Premera and Kaiser) a total of $1.4 million dollars for violations of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. But what exactly are those violations? How does the MHPAEA work? What do health insurers have to do to stay within the law?
On this episode of OIC Answers, Karen Brooks from the OIC’s Company Supervision team and Will Genschow from Legal Affairs dive into the minutia of enforcement orders and data analyses, the difference between quantitative and non-quantitative treatment limitations, how to settle on a fine amount, and what mental health parity means for people seeking treatment.

If you’ve bought a house (or a condo), you’ve probably bought title insurance to go with it.
But what does it do? What does it protect you from? How do you file a claim and what type of trouble could really befall a title?
OIC Answers, a podcast from the Washington state Office of the Insurance Commissioner, is back with regular hosts Aaron VanTuyl and Matt Baide to get to the bottom of it. Joined by Josh Martinsen from the OIC’s Consumer Protection team, on this episode the hosts dive into liens, claims, deeds, tax records, maps and surprise heirs to make sure you can avoid all the issues with a complicated property transaction.
Visit insurance.wa.gov go learn more and get help with any insurance questions.

The 2026 Legislative session wrapped up on March 12 after a historic, more than 24-hour House debate on the millionaire’s tax. The final episode of the OIC Answers podcast’s On Campus miniseries looks back at the session — the bills that passed, the bills that didn’t, and a few that could be heard from again next year. Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer welcomes on special guests Delika Steele and Richelle Geiger from the OIC’s Policy & Legislative Affairs staff to chat about what changes during session and which bills they worked on.

On this episode of the OIC Answers podcast’s On Campus miniseries, Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer welcomes on Senator Victoria Hunt to discuss Senate Bill 6178. The bill, requested Commissioner Kuderer and sponsored by Senator Hunt, increases protections for insurance consumers by banning post-loss assignment of benefits agreements (AOB). It passed the Senate unanimously but was not brought to the floor for a vote in the House.
An AOB allows a third party, like a contractor, to receive insurance payments directly from the consumer’s insurance company but also assume the rights of the policyholder — like negotiating with the insurance company.
These agreements are presented as a convenience for policyholders, but the practice has been abused in other states after natural disasters. When a consumer signs the agreement, their right to negotiate with the insurance company shifts to the repair professional and they lose control over their claim. This can lead to delays in the repair work as these disagreements are resolved, as well as inflated claim costs, unnecessary litigation, and higher premiums.

The OIC Answers podcast’s On Campus miniseries continues with guest Sen. Claire Wilson, who represents the 30th District.
Sen. Wilson, a longtime educator, sits down with Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer to discuss a report the OIC sent to the Legislature in December on the availability of insurance coverage for child-placing agencies and family homes.
The two cover why the issues exist, what happens if they’re not addressed, and what policy options exist to make coverage more available.