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OLYMPIA, Wash. — People shopping for medical and prescription drug plans during Medicare Open Enrollment often need as much help as they can get. Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer on Friday urged health insurance companies not to take one source of help for those shoppers off the table.
Kuderer sent letters to two health insurers asking them to continue paying commissions to insurance producers, brokers, and agents who help seniors and people with disabilities select Medicare plans during open enrollment.
“Discontinuing commissions on any insurance products disincentivizes producers from marketing these products to those who need them and risks driving sales towards products that insurers financially prefer,” Kuderer wrote. “These practices are especially concerning when the insurer has appointed independent agents, has historically paid commissions for these same products, included the commissions in their rate development, or did not provide advanced notice that the plans would be ‘zero commission only.’”
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