New car? Call your insurance agent

If you take advantage of a good end-of-the-year deal on a new vehicle, be sure to report it to your insurance company right away, and don’t forget to ask them for a quote for Debt Payoff Coverage. This coverage will pay off the outstanding loan balance if your vehicle is destroyed in a covered claim and its current market value is less than your outstanding loan. Your agent and insurer can answer your questions and provide more detail on how the coverage works.

Learn more about auto insurance in Washington state.

Did a furry new family member join you this holiday season?

If Santa brought you or someone in your household a puppy or kitten, you may be thinking about purchasing pet insurance.

Pet insurance is relatively new in the insurance world. It helps pay veterinary bills for preventive care or if your pet is ill or gets hurt. Most plans limit coverage to dogs and cats, so you can stop reading now if you got a new bearded dragon or bunny. Most also require a health screening to make sure your dog or cat is healthy; if you have an older pet, it likely won’t qualify for coverage.

Be a smart shopper – make sure the insurer is licensed in Washington, compare plans’ coverage, deductibles, copayments, coverage limits and exclusions.

Read more of our tips on pet insurance.

OIC hiring program analysts to work with insurers, consumers

The Office of the Insurance Commissioner is hiring two Functional Program Analyst 3 positions, one in Rates and Forms and the other in Consumer Protection.

OIC’s Rates and Forms Division regulates insurance companies that do business in Washington. The person in that position is responsible for reviewing insurance policy forms to ensure they comply with state and federal laws and rules and working with insurance companies. It requires customer service experience, good communication skills and ability to work timely and accurately. This position is open until filled. Read more about the position and salary.

Our Consumer Protection Division helps consumers who have complaints about insurance companies. The person in this position will staff our consumer hotline and enter calls into our consumer protection database. They also research and resolve consumer complaints, including analyzing whether insurance companies’ solutions to consumer complaints comply with insurance rules. This position closes Jan. 12. Read more about the responsibilities and salary.

Did you miss the deadline for health insurance coverage in January? You still have time to get covered by February.

The deadline for applying for medical insurance under the Affordable Care Act for coverage that starts in January was Dec. 23. If you did start your application, you have until Jan. 15 to select a plan and pay your premium for coverage that back-dates to Jan. 1.

If you were unable to do that, open enrollment closes March 31. You can still obtain coverage starting in February or March, depending on when you sign up. For February coverage, the deadline to enroll is Jan. 23.

If you qualify for a subsidy or Medicaid, you should obtain medical insurance through the Washington Healthplanfinder, our state’s health benefit exchange. If you do not qualify for a subsidy, you can buy a health plan directly from an insurance company. Here’s a list of the plans that are available in Washington.

Before you rent a car or loan out yours, consider a few things

Will you need to rent a car during your holiday travels? Does your brother want to borrow your car while he’s home from college? Here are a few things to consider.

What should I know about rental car insurance?

If you are renting a car while you travel, you will likely be offered insurance by the rental car company. Before you decide, check with your agent to find out if your personal auto insurance policy covers damage to cars you rent. Many policies do not cover costs that aren’t directly related to damage, such as the daily fee charged by the rental agency for each day the car is out of service being repaired. In that case, you may want to consider buying coverage from the rental agency.

Read more about rental car insurance.

If I loan my car to someone and they cause a wreck, can my auto insurance increase even if I wasn’t driving?

It’s likely, since your insurer will have to pay a claim under your policy. We recommend you contact your agent to find out for sure. Unless you have a restricted policy that only covers you as a listed driver, a standard auto policy will typically cover people whom you allow to drive your vehicle. If the wreck involves a crime—fleeing the scene, driving under the influence or using the car to commit a crime – then your coverage would not extend to their use.

In general, unless you have a restricted policy or you didn’t authorize the use of your car, when you loan your car, you loan your insurance.

Read more about what most auto insurance policies cover.

Finishing up your holiday shopping? Here are a few things to consider.

What should I do if gifts are stolen from my car?

Tired after a long day of shopping and you don’t unload your car? Or did you load your car with packages that you need to mail? If you find yourself the victim of a car break-in when you have a car full of gifts, your homeowner or renter insurance will cover the contents. If you do file a claim, make sure you have receipts for what was stolen, and you should be prepared to turn in a copy of the police report, if one exists. Damage to your car would be covered by your auto insurance.

Read more about understanding your auto insurance.

Is warranty worth buying for gifts or high-ticket items?

We encourage consumers to carefully read the terms of the warranty before making a decision. We also encourage consumers to find out if a warranty company is registered to do business in Washington state.

Complaints we get from consumers generally focus on warranty claims that the companies say aren’t covered, or consumers requesting a refund when they change their mind about the warranty. The warranty contract will tell consumers how they can request a refund; state law requires a 10-business-day window to request a refund of a warranty.

If you are unhappy with the service you receive with a warranty you purchase, you can file a complaint with us.

Read more about warranties and service contracts.

Should I buy travel insurance?

If you are getting ready to travel for the holidays, here are some things to consider about travel insurance before you decide if it's worth it.

Many travel companies—airlines, cruise lines, resorts—offer travel insurance that will refund most or all of the cost of the trip in certain circumstances. Policies typically cover things like trip cancelations due to illness, civil unrest, job loss, or the carrier going out of business. They’ll also pay for fees incurred by missed connections and delays; baggage damage or loss; medical expenses incurred by an injury or illness while traveling; emergency evacuation; car rental damage; and accidental death.

Before you decide whether to purchase travel insurance, you should consider:

• What your medical insurance covers when you travel.
• What your homeowner or renter insurance covers in the event of lost or stolen belongings.
• What your life insurance policy covers in the event of accidental death while traveling.
• What the cancelation policy is for the travel insurance.
• Read the policy's fine print. Some don't cover certain activities such as hang-gliding, bungee jumping or other physical contact sports. Some also exclude certain pre-existing conditions from the medical coverage they offer.
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• You should also make sure the travel insurance company is licensed to sell insurance in Washington.

Read more about travel insurance on our website.