Latest Washington Headlines
All the headlines from our Washington Topic Page, ordered by recency.
AIA Criticizes Proposed Washington Auto Glass Repair Bill
Feb 8 2008 // Legislation approved Monday by the Washington House of Representatives is unnecessary and limits consumer choice, says the American Insurance Association (AIA). “Policymakers just enacted a law in 2007, SB 5052, that...
Lawmakers Look to Help December Flood Victims
Feb 4 2008 // There’s silence in John Brunoff’s Washington dairy farm, except for the sound of a lone worker hosing an empty 5,000-gallon milk tank. Just nine weeks ago, more than 270 cows filled this organic dairy farm with...
Wash. Regulator Gets More Authority Over Health Insurance
Feb 1 2008 // The state Senate approved the bill giving the insurance commissioner more authority over individual health insurance policies. The measure is also expected to pass the House. Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler requested...
Maryland County Proposal Calls for Contracts for Domestic Workers
Feb 1 2008 // Lawmakers in a suburban Washington, D.C. county said this week that domestic workers and their employers should be required to sign contracts to ensure the workers receive fair wages, overtime and other protections against...
Former Wash. Mayor, Ex-state Trooper Convicted of Fraud
Jan 31 2008 // A former Westport, Wash., mayor and ex-state trooper has been convicted of involvement in a scheme to commit insurance fraud, a case involving a nonexistent 1949 Chevrolet Woody and a dead State Patrol sergeant. Douglas...
Wash. AG Supporting Cell Phone Privacy, Internet Safety and Ethics Bills
Jan 29 2008 // Five bills requested by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna are scheduled for public hearings today and Wednesday of this week. The bills would help keep cell phone numbers private, make it a crime to view child...
Declarations
Jan 27 2008 // Startling Results “We wanted to know what these insurance agents see for 2008, and the results were more than a little startling.” —Joe Wheeler, vice president of Self Insured Solutions (SIS), commenting on a...
Physicians Insurance to Reduce Rates for Medical Malpractice in Washington
Jan 27 2008 // Washington’s largest writer of medical malpractice coverage for physicians and surgeons has reduced premiums for 2008 by 12.5 percent, following what appears to be a record-setting year of profits for the company in...
The Pressure’s On
Jan 27 2008 // Washington State’s Kreidler believes now’s the time for the industry to face climate change Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has proven adept at balancing the many demands placed upon state...
D.C. to Appeal Revised Flood maps
Jan 25 2008 // The District of Columbia is planning to challenge new maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would designate a broad section of the city’s center a flood zone. The proposed new flood zone is several...
Wash. AG Proposes Identity Theft Bill
Jan 25 2008 // A bill requested by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna to make it easier to prosecute identity theft cases is scheduled for a public hearing today before the House Judiciary Committee. “Records custodians...
Wash. Regulator Has Big Ideas for Health Care
Jan 15 2008 // Hoping to speed up the pace of health care reform, the state insurance commissioner has stepped from the bureaucratic supporting cast with a big idea: take over the market for “catastrophic” insurance,...
Industry, Residents Assessing West’s Winter Storm Damage
Jan 13 2008 // While it’s too soon to tally insured loss estimates from early winter storms that struck the West in January, residents who fled their homes due to flooding are facing damages, all while the National Weather Service...
Physicians Insurance Files To Decrease Doctors’ Medical Malpractice Coverage in Washington
Jan 11 2008 // Washington’s largest writer of medical malpractice coverage for physicians and surgeons has reduced premiums for 2008 by 12.5 percent, following what appears to be a record-setting year of profits for the company in...
West Storm Losses Could Reach $600 Million
Jan 10 2008 // Catastrophe risk modeling firm Air Worldwide estimates insured losses from the recent west coast winter storm that occrred January 4-8 could reach as high as $600 million, with the vast majority of those losses in...
Pet Birds-Risk – WA Health Officials: Pet Birds May Pose Health Risk
Jan 4 2008 // Washington has issued a warning to the public that some recently purchased cockatiels or other pet birds may pose a health risk to people who are exposed to them. The Washington State Department of Health said that some...
Top Insurance Stories in 2007 in the West
Dec 31 2007 // While 2007 was a surprisingly calm year for hurricanes, that doesn’t mean Mother Nature didn’t have a tantrum or two. In 2007, the West faced its share of disasters, with freezes, floods and fires making news...
Washington’s Workers’ Comp Rate Holiday Ends Tonight
Dec 31 2007 // Washington’s six-month rate holiday, during which employers and workers saved $315 million in workers’ compensation premiums, will end with the arrival of the New Year tonight, according to the state Department...
Washington Increasing Minimum Wage 14 Cents
Dec 28 2007 // Washington’s minimum wage will increase 14 cents to $8.07 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2008, according to the Department of Labor and Industries. Washington’s minimum wage applies to workers in both agriculture...
Washington Makes Insurance Plea for Storm Damage Victims
Dec 28 2007 // Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has asked insurance companies and other regulated entities to take voluntary steps to ensure that homeowners, businesses and consumers affected by December’s winter...
