Mike Kreidler

Mike Kreidler serves as Washington state’s eighth Insurance Commissioner. A former member of Congress, he was first elected as insurance commissioner in 2000. He was re-elected to a sixth term in 2020. A doctor of optometry with a master's degree in public health from UCLA, Kreidler practiced at the former Group Health Cooperative in Olympia for 20 years. He served 16 years in the Washington State Legislature. In addition, he was the regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and a member of the Northwest Power Planning Council He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserves with 20 years of service. Kreidler is a staunch advocate for consumer protection and known as a fair and balanced regulator. He earned the "Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award" from consumer advisors to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. From the boardroom of his local school district to the state Legislature and halls of Congress, Kreidler has represented Washingtonians for more than 40 years. Throughout his career, Commissioner Kreidler has been passionate about achieving health care coverage for all Washingtonians and led the efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act in our state. He worked to pass the strongest law in the country against the practice of surprise medical billing, supported efforts to protect reproductive rights and access to health insurance coverage for transgender people. Early in his term, he rejected a bid by one of the state's largest non-profit health insurers, Premera Blue Cross, to become a for-profit company. Since 2007, Commissioner Kreidler has chaired the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Climate Risk and Resilience Work Group. He led a successful push for insurers to disclose if and how they are preparing for the potential risks associated with climate change.