OIC Answers on Insurance (Washington State OIC)

Each episode of OIC Answers addresses a question about insurance in Washington state or the OIC’s work. On the second episode, Tim Smolen – director of the OIC’s SHIBA Program – returns to explain how the volunteer-driven Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors Program works to help Washingtonians get free, unbiased advice about Medicare. Call SHIBA at (800) 562-6900!

The basic concept of a life insurance policy is simple, but the details can be complicated. On this episode of OIC Answers, insurance analyst Sharon Daniel joins the hosts to explain the different types of life insurance and answer hypothetical questions about dangerous hobbies, beneficiaries, and the combination of failed marriages and suspicious deaths.

On this Medicare Fraud Prevention Month episode of OIC Answers, Kim McKenna — our Senior Medicare Patrol program coordinator — discusses the most common Medicare-related scams, how to keep yourself safe from fraud, what to do when you think you’re being targeted in a scheme, and how the Senior Medicare Patrol works.

For questions about reporting a concern to Washington State Senior Medicare Patrol, you can call our Insurance Consumer Hotline at 1-800-562-6900 or submit in writing at insurance.wa.gov/contact-washington-state-shiba-program.

If you are interested in volunteering with the SHIBA or SMP programs, contact us at 1-800-562-6900.

Health care sharing ministries offer what may look like affordable health coverage, but there’s often a few details in the fine print that leave members short of funds when big medical bills come due. On this episode of OIC Answers, Deputy Commissioner Michael Marchand helps answer questions about what, exactly, a health care sharing ministry is, what they might not cover, and how the OIC works to prevent them from selling insurance illegally.

Medicare open enrollment starts on October 15 and runs through December 7. What’s new with Medicare this year? What should you do to get ready? What questions do you need to ask and who can you call if you don’t have all the answers? Tim Smolen from the Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors Program returns to the podcast for an open enrollment preview.

About SHIBA: Washington’s Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) volunteers provide free, unbiased and confidential help with Medicare. Call 1-800-562-6900 or visit www.insurance.wa.gov/how-we-can-help-you-medicare.

Each episode of OIC Answers addresses a question about insurance in Washington state or the OIC’s work. On this episode, Andrew Davis from the OIC's Policy team discusses the state's new premium change transparency rule and what your insurance company is now required to do if you ask (in writing) about your premium increase upon renewal.

Each episode of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s podcast, OIC Answers, addresses one question about insurance in Washington state or the OIC’s work. On the first episode, Tim Smolen – director of the OIC’s SHIBA Program – answers beginner-level questions about enrolling in Medicare.  

Opening the mailbox and finding a letter from your home insurance company can be a scary moment. There might be higher premiums waiting in that envelope or, even worse, the insurance version of a “Dear John” letter — a non-renewal notice. On this episode of OIC Answers, policy analyst David Forte discusses why rates have gone up recently, how rating factors like location and construction type impact premiums, the availability of home insurance in Washington, what impact wildfires are having on the market, and whether or not your insurance company can use drones to check out your roof.

A big part of the Office of the Insurance Commissioner’s work is consumer protection. A lot of that work is done by our investigations team, which evaluates consumer complaints to see if there’s been a violation of the state insurance code. On this episode of OIC Answers, two of our lead investigators explain how the investigations process works and gives advice on how to spot red flags from insurance professionals.

More than 5 million pets in the United States were covered by insurance plans in 2023, but the coverages and costs vary quite a bit between pets and plans. Accidents, surgeries, prescriptions, illnesses and emergencies are usually covered, while dental care and behavioral problems usually aren’t — and pre-existing conditions remain a point of confusion. Washington has about 4% of the country’s covered pets, and in this episode of OIC Answers, our hosts ask a consumer protection expert if the policies are worth the money.

Flood Awareness Week just wrapped up, but you should never stop being prepared for a flood. Most of the flood insurance in Washington comes through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Plan and more than 90% of Washington’s communities participate in the NFIP, meaning homes in those areas are eligible for coverage.

On this episode, Scott Van Hoff, a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard Specialist with FEMA, discusses how the program works, why it exists, and FEMA’s role in helping people after a natural disaster.

• More info on flood insurance (OIC

Auto insurance rates took a jump in 2023, which meant an increase in monthly costs for people almost everywhere. What happened? Was it a Washington-specific issue? Why doesn’t the Insurance Commissioner just say “no” to rate increases? And why did MY costs go up when I haven’t even wrecked a car or gotten a ticket in years? On this episode of OIC Answers, Senior Policy Advisor David Forte helps the hosts address all the questions and theories they’ve heard about auto rates over the last year. 

Each episode of OIC Answers addresses a question about insurance in Washington state or the OIC’s work. On this episode, Amy Teshera from the OIC's Consumer Advocacy Program talks about what happens (from an insurance standpoint) after a natural disaster damages or destroys your home, and how the OIC helps people navigate the claims process after a large-scale event.