Thursday, November 18, 2010

More from our case files...

Having trouble with an insurance company, agent or broker? Give us a call; we can often help. We're the government agency that regulates the insurance industry in Washington state. (If you don't live in Washington, here's an easy map with contact info for our counterparts in your own state.)

In Washington state, we're at 1-800-562-6900 or AskMike@oic.wa.gov. You can now also file a complaint easily online.

Here's a sampling of the sorts of things we help with virtually every day:
  • A woman contacted us on behalf of her 75-year-old mother, who had forgotten to pay her long-term care insurance premium due to health issues. The company had cancelled the policy for non-payment. After multiple attempts to have the policy reinstated, the daughter sought our help. The policy was reinstated.
  • A company that had sold an illegal discount health plan here agreed to pay a consumer $3,825.
  • A widow whose annuity request had been delayed complained to us. We contacted the company, which honored the request, sending her a check for more than $250,000.