Before you wax your skis, brush up on winter activities and your insurance

Snow is starting to fall in Washington state's mountains and in some lower elevations. Before you hit the slopes or backcountry, take a moment to consider insurance implications for winter recreation. 

Snoeshowing at Lake Wenatchee Sno-Park,
courtesy Washington State Parks

Ski and snowboard equipment

Winter sports gear is not cheap, and replacing it in the event of damage or theft can put a crimp in your winter fun. 

Generally, equipment you own will be covered up to a specific amount by your homeowner or renter policy. Check the limit in your policy and decide if that will be enough to replace damaged or stolen equipment. Remember to factor in your deductible. 

If you think you need more coverage, ask your insurance agent about a rider that might allow you to increase coverage (and your premium) for specified personal property.

Snowmobiles

Snowmobiles may be covered under homeowner policies when they are used for maintenance of your insured property. They likely aren’t covered by a renter or auto insurance policy. If you want to be covered, talk to your insurance agent about a snowmobile policy. If you take your snowmobile off your property, carry proof of insurance.

If you are traveling and plan to rent a snowmobile, you may consider rental insurance to cover damage to the snowmobile. Your home or renter insurance might provide coverage for your personal liability while operating a rental snowmobile. Read the contract carefully before signing and ask questions of the agent selling you the coverage if you don’t understand the limits or conditions of coverage.

Travel insurance

Traveling in the winter can be full of surprises. Even if you’re traveling somewhere warm, bad weather en route to your destination can cause delays or cancellations. Travel sites and airlines offer travel insurance when you book your trip. Travel insurance can cover everything from lost luggage to delays and cancellations, but make sure you closely read any policy you consider. Learn more about travel insurance.

Health insurance

If you are out of town without access to your physician or local health care center, review your emergency medical treatment requirements:

• Are you required to seek medical treatment at a certain hospital or urgent care center that is in your insurer’s network?
• Will you have a copay?
• If you need to fill a prescription, do you have to go to a certain pharmacy?
• If you are traveling in an area that is out of your network, what is the insurer’s requirements for reimbursing your expenses? 

Make a list of these details and carry your insurance card with you when you travel.

Questions? You can contact our consumer advocates online or at 1-800-562-6900.

What's an umbrella policy?

Commissioner Kreidler recently participated in a Facebook live Q&A with KIRO TV reporter Jesse Jones, where viewers submitted their insurance questions. Jesse and Commissioner Kreidler got lots of great questions, including a couple about umbrella policies.

Umbrella policy is one of those insurance terms that a lot of people have heard but many aren’t quite sure what it means. Simply put, an umbrella policy extends your liability coverage beyond what is covered by your homeowner and auto policies. Umbrella policies pay only after you exhaust the liability limit of your homeowner or auto policies, which are referred to as underlying policies.

Here’s an example: Your dog bites a visitor in your home. The visitor sues you for damages and wins a $1 million award against you. Your homeowner’s insurance policy will only pay up to the $300,000 liability coverage limit listed in your home policy. If you have a $1 million umbrella policy, it will pay the remaining $700,000, minus any deductible. According to the Insurance Information Institute, a $1 million umbrella policy costs $150-$300 per year – that’s about $13 to $25 per month in premiums.

If you are interested in buying an umbrella policy, you should contact your insurance agent or company.

Questions? You can contact our consumer advocates online or at 1-800-562-6900.

Fight health care fraud: guard your Medicare number!

Medicare open enrollment is here (October 15 to December 7), which means fraudsters and identity thieves will increase their efforts to get and abuse Medicare numbers from people.

Fortunately, there are many measures you can take to fight health care fraud:

• Guard your Medicare number. Protect it the same way you do for your credit card numbers. Medicare will never contact you for your Medicare number or other personal information. Don’t share your Medicare number or other personal information with anyone who contacts you by phone, email, or by approaching you in person, unless you’ve given them permission in advance. 
• Don’t ever let anyone borrow or pay to use your Medicare number.
• If you’re looking to enroll in a Medicare plan, be suspicious of anyone who pressures you to act now for the best deal. There are no “early bird discounts” or “limited time offers.” Any offer that sounds too good to be true probably is.
• Be skeptical of offers for free gifts and free medical services. A common ploy of identity thieves is to say they can send you your free gift right away—they just need your Medicare number to confirm. Decline politely but firmly. 
• Do your part to protect your friends and neighbors: remind them to guard their Medicare numbers, too.
• Check your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)–which gives you information on services submitted under your Medicare number–to make sure you and Medicare are only being charged for services you actually received. While the MSN is only mailed to you every 3 months, you can access your Original Medicare claims at any time on MyMedicare.gov. You’ll usually be able to see a claim within 24 hours after Medicare processes it.

You can report suspected fraud by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048. 

To learn more about how to protect yourself from health care fraud, visit Medicare.gov/fraud, or contact our state’s local Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), which is the OIC's Statewide Health Insurance Benefits Advisors (SHIBA) program.

Outdoor, indoor features that you think are covered may surprise you

Many consumers think their homeowner policy covers everything they own, both inside and on their premises outside of their home. However, you should be aware that most homeowner policies do not cover everything you own. 

Creative Commons Backyard Pool by
Alvin Smith is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

Here are some common features that people may think is covered by a standard homeowner policy. 

Outside your home:

• Retaining walls
• Pools that sit above and below ground
• Gazebos
• Spas/hot tubs 
• Rockeries and other landscaped areas
• Driveways
• Sidewalks
• Foundations
• Fences
• Pump houses
• Garden sheds
• Greenhouses 
• Playground equipment

Inside your home:

• Collectibles
• Money
• Jewelry
• Artwork 
• Musical instruments

Talk to your agent or broker to find out if items like these are covered.  If coverage isn’t available, you’ll want to maintain and safeguard the property at your own cost, and do the best you can to keep it from damage. It’s a good idea to have a discussion about these types of property before you buy a policy.

Read more about homeowner's insurance on our website. Questions? You can contact our consumer advocates online or at 1-800-562-6900.

Areas hit by wildfire are at risk for flood damage – are you covered?

We are reaching the end of a “normal” fire season, thanks to this year’s snowpack and spring rain. While that is good news, the more than 15,000 acres that have burned are at higher risk for flash flooding and mudflows. Vegetation absorbs water and reduces runoff that causes mudflows. Even areas that are not historically prone to flood are at risk due to the landscape changes caused by fire. Flood risk remains high until vegetation grows back, up to five years after the fire. That means that the million-plus acres that burned the last two summers are still at higher risk for flooding and mudflows. 

Photo courtesy Washington state Department of Natural Resources

Homeowner’s and commercial insurance policies do not cover flood or mudflow damage. Consumers who want to protect their property must purchase a flood policy, available only through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Most properties qualify for flood insurance, as long as it is located in a community that participates in the program.

Typically, there is a 30-day waiting period before your flood insurance policy takes effect. This time of year is a good time to do some research into flood insurance, before the fall and winter weather that can bring floods start in earnest.

More information:

• Find an agent near you who sells flood insurance policies through NFIP.
• NFIP’s Flood After Fire fact sheet
• FEMA’s Flood after Fire Risks fact sheet

Questions? Get more information about flood insurance or contact our consumer advocates.