COMMISSIONER'S CORNER

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024

Wyoming has experienced significant wildfire activity, with several large fires causing widespread impact. One of the most notable is the Elk Fire, which as of October 6, 2024 had burned over 72,000 acres and was only 10% contained.  Many residents in the Dayton, Wyoming area are preparing for possible evacuation, or have evacuated. 

Preparation is key. Keep a written inventory of your possessions or record a video of each room and outside your home. Know what your policy covers and update, if necessary, before fire season begins. Ask your agent how much coverage you have for additional living expenses to cover lodging, food and other expenses if you are forces to leave your home after suffering a covered loss.

Some tips to prepare your home for a wildfire:

• Shut off any natural gas propane or fuel oil supplies at the house

• Gather tools such as shovels, racks, chainsaws, and buckets

• Close all doors inside the house to prevent a draft

• Close the garage door(s) and disconnect any garage door openers so you can open them by hand if the power goes out.

• Place valuable papers, mementos, and anything you “can’t live without” in your vehicle ready for quick departure.

• Keep a battery operated radio near and all cell phones charged.

It is crucial that you have an evacuation plan. Think through your escape routes, how to keep pets and livestock safe and what you need to bring with you should an evacuation order be placed. A basic packing list should include the 6-Ps:

1. People & Pets 

2. Papers, phone numbers and important documents (birth certificates, passports, and insurance documents)

3. Prescriptions, Vitamins and Eyeglasses

4. Pictures and Irreplaceable Memorabilia (have these items prepacked so they are easy to grab)

5. Personal computers (Information on hard drive & disks)

6. Plastic (credit cards, ATM cards and cash)

After a fire: Contact your insurance company and agent right away. Keep a list of all contacts you have with your company. Make a list of your damaged property. Photograph or record a video of the damage. If possible, do not throw away damaged items until a claims adjuster has seen them. Make necessary repairs to your home and property to protect them from further damage. Keep a record of the repairs and all receipts.

Wildfires can change quickly. Residents can follow Facebook pages for county services for EMS and fire as they usually provide on-the-ground updates throughout the day.  People can also access a site called Watch Duty ↗ which is updated by volunteers regarding fire conditions. It covers 13 states, which includes Wyoming. It is a free app, but has some options for additional services at a cost. Another good resource is the Rocky Mountain Area Coordination Center ↗. You can find details on all fires in the Rocky Mountain area. Another source is Inciweb ↗ . This site shows all current active fires and past fires in Wyoming and other states in the country.

If you have any concerns or issues regarding your home, auto or health insurance during this disaster, you can reach out to the Wyoming Department of Insurance at 307-777-7401 or via our Contact Us page.

Jeff Rude, Wyoming Insurance Commissioner

2023 HIGHLIGHTS

During the 2023 legislative session, the DOI monitored eighteen bills. Of those eighteen, ten were passed into law.  You can view the bills and the changes that were made by visiting the Legislative Service Office website and select 2023 bills. The 2024 session is a budget session, but we expect to follow a few bills through the process.

The DOI also did extensive outreach during 2023. Public Service Announcements are published each month in statewide papers. Some of the topics in 2023 were choosing an agent, preparing for severe weather, and information regarding the Medicaid unwind. Additionally, the agency did presentations and articles for Cover Wyoming, AARP and AWIA.

In 2023, the agency brought in over $50 million to the general fund from licensing fees and premium taxes. The agency also collected $55,736 in fines. These fines were collected from both agents and companies.

The agency was also busy with licensing applications and form reviews. The licensing section issued 42,773 licenses and manually processed 5,026 applications. The Rate and Form filing section reviewed 1,520 Life & Health filings and 2, 225 Property & Casualty filings. The licensing section consists of three employees and the rate and form filing section has five employees.

Our legal section was busy revising rules. They revised Chapters 10, 64, 54, 55, 28 and 68. Once again you can find these rules on the Secretary of State’s website. They also handled eighty public records requests and opened 65 administrative matters.

The agency also has a complaint section. This section handles complaints regarding improper denial of claims; delays in claim handling; cancelation or termination of an insurance policy or misrepresentation of policy coverage or misappropriation of premiums paid to an agent or broker. The section cannot act as legal representation, recommend an insurance agency, agency or policy, determine property value, regulate rates, make an insurance company insure you, decide who is as fault for an accident, force a company to pay your claims or decide the amount of loss. During 2023 the section received 1,459 complaints and closed 1,453.

Also of significance this year is the DOI successfully passed NAIC accreditation. The NAIC Financial Regulation Standards and Accreditation Program (Accreditation Program) serves as the backbone of the U.S. national system of state-based regulation. The Accreditation Program defines baseline standards deemed essential for effective solvency regulation in each state. Accreditation assures states are regulating their domestic multistate insurers according to national standards agreed to by the NAIC. For the insurance industry, accreditation means insurers will not require additional independent exams from the other states in which the insurers do business. 

Jeff Rude, Wyoming Insurance Commissioner