Bills would require employers to pay for abortions, contraceptives The debate took four years to hit the Washington Senate floor in early February. The topic was a bill by Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, to require an employer that provides health insurance to include contraceptive and abortion coverage at no extra cost to that employee.…

Owner of Kennewick’s In4ormed Benefits Solutions says more clients seeking to offer ancillary benefits For as long as Jolene Johnson can remember, she’s had an entrepreneurial spirit. In high school, she worked alongside her parents at the RV park they owned on Snoqualmie Pass, but she learned quickly that she loved helping people much more…

By Beau Ruff If you’ve ever driven past an abandoned house with rusted play equipment in plain sight and thought that it looked like a dangerous trap for unwary children, then you intuitively know about the concept of an “attractive nuisance.” Landowners owe a duty to those who come on their property. The level of…

Three years ago, Perla Zepeda’s family lost a beloved family member. Their dog, Sandy, had swallowed an unknown object, causing internal damage. She was rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital in Yakima, but doctors couldn’t save her. “We grieved for about three months,” Zepeda said. They also faced more than $1,000 in veterinary bills. Shortly…

By Sean Bassinger Belongings stashed inside self-storage units may not be covered by homeowner or renter insurance policies if anything gets stolen or damaged. Policies that cover items at off-site storage units may have limits in place as well, according to the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner. It’s good information to find out before…

Ten percent of all insurance claims are fraudulent. And 10 percent of the cost of all premiums is due to fraud. This number is likely to increase as insurance fraud cases continue to grow, said Mark Couey, director of the Criminal Investigations Unit at the state Office of the Insurance Commissioner. [blockquote quote=”To report insurance…

In their mid-20s, at a time when Todd and Daydra Bauman’s biggest worry should have been paying off student loan debt or saving up for their first home, the couple faced the unthinkable. A rare illness debilitated the 27-year-old Daydra. “A normal body can detect what’s good and what’s bad,” said Todd Bauman. “Her body…

The Williams family has been watching out for wellbeing of Tri-Citians for 45 years. In 1971, John R. “Jack” Williams founded Insurance and Financial Consultants, Inc., selling life insurance, annuities, investment products, health insurance and employee benefit packages. He’d already been an insurance agent for several years, working for State Farm Insurance. “But their focus…

If your rented home or apartment is destroyed by fire, or all of your possessions are stolen by thieves, will be relieved that you are protected by Renters Insurance or left with few good options because you didn’t purchase it? In Washington state, about 47 percent of all residents rent a home or apartment, according…