A newsletter from Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer



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*Patty’s Takes: Long Recovery Ahead for Flood Victims*

 

 

There’s no quick way to bounce back after a flood. The atmospheric river that hit Western Washington earlier this month drove water through unprecedented areas of Skagit and Whatcom counties and displacing hundreds of residents across the state.

The recovery work is ongoing and my office is here to help. In the immediate aftermath, I sent a letter to insurance companies [ [link removed] ] outlining the expectations for how claims should be handled and how they could best help consumers comply with policy duties and safely reduce the spread of mold.

I opened the emergency registration of adjusters [ [link removed] ] to streamline the process for out-of-state adjusters to help in impacted areas and filed an emergency order granting grace periods [ [link removed] ] for nonpayment of premiums and extending the notification period for policy non-renewals from 45 to 120 days.

Unfortunately, this situation is a reminder that climate change is pushing floodwaters into new areas — and home insurance policies in Washington won’t cover the damage. Flood insurance [ [link removed] ] is a separate policy, mostly available through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program [ [link removed] ]. 

My staff will be on hand at disaster assistance centers to help people through the claims process and will continue sharing information on flood recovery [ [link removed] ]. We’ll also keep sharing information on the importance of flood insurance and how to know if you need it [ [link removed] ].

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Wildfire work group report sent to Legislature

The Wildfire Mitigation and Resiliency Standards Work Group, which I co-chaired with Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove, delivered its final report and recommendations to the Legislature [ [link removed] ] earlier this month.

The report recommends [ [link removed] ] establishing a voluntary grant program to help residential properties resist wildfire loss. Group members also agreed upon the need to enhance mitigation at the community level, improve data sharing between state agencies and the insurance industry, and improve risk transparency for consumers.

I’m thankful for everything the work group accomplished with the report and excited to work with the Legislature on making some of its recommendations a reality during the 2026 Legislative Session.

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Lawmakers headed back to work

The 2026 Legislative Session convenes on January 12. My office will be busy working on our own bills and providing support to our state lawmakers.

We’ve outlined our legislative priorities for the year [ [link removed] ], which includes authorizing my office to order restitution when financial crimes are committed against consumers; prohibiting assignment of benefits agreements in insurance claims; modernizing insurance fraud laws; and preserving several provisions of the Affordable Care Act into state law.

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Health insurance issues still unresolved

I was frustrated the Republican-led Congress couldn’t reach an agreement couldn’t reach an agreement to extend the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, which helped make health insurance more affordable for more than 216,000 people buying health insurance on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange last year.

Premiums will be higher for some Washington residents, and the Exchange estimates up to 40,000 people could drop coverage due to the higher prices.

Still, I encourage anyone worried about increases to visit Washington Healthplanfinder to explore the options and see what premium assistance is available. It might not replace the loss of the premium tax credits, but it will help. Anyone who signs up by January 15 will have coverage beginning February 1.

       


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