Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner

File a complaint

We're here to help you with your insurance question or complaint. We investigate complaints against insurance companies and agents, enforce insurance law on your behalf, and can provide you with information on how to settle disputes.

Insurance Company Complaint Form

If the complaint involves medical issues, you must use the printable form and sign the medical release on the form.

Agent, Adjuster, or Broker Investigation Form

Request an investigation of an agent, adjuster, or broker.

Submit your completed print form by mail:

PO Box 40256

Olympia WA 98504-0256

or fax it to: (360) 586-2018.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What does the Office of the Insurance Commissioner do?
  2. Now that I've filed a complaint, what can I expect?
  3. If you can't help me, where else can I go for help?
  4. Confidentiality Statement



1. What does the Office of the Insurance Commissioner do?

We investigate more than 5,400 complaints against insurance companies and agents a year, help settle disputes, and enforce insurance law on your behalf. On average, we recover more than $800,000 a month for Washington consumers. Hopefully, we can help you too!

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2. Now that I’ve filed a complaint, what can I expect?

It takes an average of 30 days from the time we receive your complaint until we finish our investigation.  If your complaint involves a unique or complex problem, it could take longer.  Once we receive your complaint form, we’ll contact the insurance company and present your complaint. 

Once we hear back from the company, we’ll review their response and make sure they’re following the law and the terms of your policy. If we’re not satisfied with their response, we’ll advocate on your behalf. We also can help you understand what your policy covers and may suggest steps you can take to resolve your issue.

We will contact you when the investigation is closed, and your complaint will become a permanent part of the company’s public record with our office. Unfortunately, we do not have authority over all insurance plans, nor can we help in every case.  

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3. If you can’t help me, where else can I go for help?  

There are some limitations on what we can do. We may not be able to help if your complaint is against a third-party administrator (someone who manages health care or liability claims on behalf of an employer) or if it involves provider networks or a self-funded health or liability plan.

We cannot give you legal advice, recommend or rate an insurance company, or make medical judgments. We also cannot identify someone else’s insurance company or resolve disputes of fact between you and an insurance company, such as the amount of money owed to you or who is at fault.

If your complaint involves any of the health plans or issues listed below, the following agencies may be able to help you:

    • If your complaint involves a workers’ compensation claim, contact the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, 360-902-5800 or http://www.lni.wa.gov/
    • If your complaint involves a federal health or life insurance plan, contact the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 202-606-1800 or http://www.opm.gov/
    • If you’re insured through the U.S. military, contact TRICARE at http://www.tricare.mil/
    • If your policy was purchased in another state, contact that state’s insurance commissioner’s office. Links to all of the insurance commissioners’ offices websites can be found at http://www.naic.org/state_web_map.htm 
    • If you are covered by the Basic Health Plan, contact the Washington State Health Care Authority, 1-800-660-9840 or http://www.basichealth.hca.wa.gov/
    • If you are covered by the Uniform Medical Plan, contact the Washington State Health Care Authority, 1-800-762-6004 or http://www.ump.hca.wa.gov/
    • If you are covered by a self-funded employer health plan,  contact the U.S. Department of Labor at 1-866-444-3272 or http://www.dol.gov/ebsa

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4. Confidentiality Statement

Your complaint and any related documents submitted will become public records. Under state law, public records are subject to public records disclosure requests. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner will protect information you provide us to the maximum extent of the law. However, under some circumstances, your complaint and related documents may be seen by other people. Please keep this in mind when giving us personal information such as social security and Medicare numbers, medical information and financial data.

If we need additional information from you, we will request it. We will share your
information only if we need to in order to provide the services you requested or if we are required to do so by law.

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