Sovereign Nations agrees to stop selling unauthorized sales in Washington 

Sovereign Nations Insurance has signed a settlement agreement with Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler and has agreed to cease its operations in Washington state.

Kreidler ordered Sovereign Nations to stop selling unauthorized insurance products in Washington last year, issuing a cease-and-desist order on December 20. The company requested a hearing in response.

Per the settlement agreement, signed on November 1, the company will end all insurance business in Washington and not re-enter the state insurance market. In return, Kreidler’s office will not fine the company for selling insurance without authorization from the OIC.

The company is based in Utah and describes itself as a tribally owned and controlled domestic health insurance company, regulated by the three tribes that created it. The company sold eight insurance policies to Washington consumers without being authorized to do so. The health plans it sold also contained pre-existing condition exclusions and waiting periods, which are illegal in Washington (RCW 48.43.012).

The federal McCarran-Ferguson Act guarantees states regulatory authority over insurance.

“These products didn’t meet the standards we’ve established to protect consumers in Washington,” said Kreidler. “This settlement is good outcome for everyone. I’m also very grateful for the consultations we had with tribal representatives across the state. Their assistance was invaluable.”

Washington State has a strong history of working with tribes on health care issues. Kreidler invited Washington’s tribal leadership for a consultation last November to discuss the company operating as a sovereign tribal insurer in Washington.