Clark County resident sees insurance rates jump after new state rule

“In terms of senior citizens who may be impacted, we encourage people to contact our office if they’re getting a rate increase. We can contact their company on their behalf to see what additional issues there may be causing the change,” said Stephanie Marquis, media and outreach manager for the Office of Insurance Commissioner.

“In general, we advise people to shop around as Washington has a very competitive insurance market. There may be insurers who rely less on credit scores and more on claims history and driving records,” Marquis added.

However, Kreidler’s emergency order was invalidated Oct. 12 by a Thurston County Superior Court judge. The judge’s ruling was in response to a suit filed by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, the Professional Insurance Agents of Washington, the Independent Agents and Brokers of Washington, and the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies.

But don’t expect insurance companies to start adjusting their rates just yet.

“All insurance rates and forms have to be approved in advance by the Washington State Insurance Commissioner’s Office,” Brine said. Which means any adjustments would likely not be made until well into next year.

Meanwhile, Kreidler has been working to permanently eliminate the use of credit scores by insurance providers, including backing Senate Bill 5010 during the last legislative session. The bill was gutted by a Senate Business, Financial Services and Trade Committee amendment and failed to make it pass a second reading.