Washington State

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

AGO 1966 NO. 90 >

Under RCW 41.04.180, a state agency or political subdivision may provide hospitalization and medical aid for its employees and their dependents by means of payments pursuant to contract with a regularly constituted insurance carrier or health care service contractor of premiums payable on group hospitalization or medical aid insurance plans covering such employees without itself being the policyholder provided that (a) in the case of a state agency or school district, the payments do not exceed 50% of the total premium, or $5.00 per month per employee covered; and (b) comparable coverage under other plans is made available by the agency or political subdivision for such of its employees within the general class to be covered as are not enrolled in the particular group disability insurance program.

AGLO 1975 NO. 99 >

Under § 1, chapter 16, Laws of 1975 (RCW 36.16.138), the commissioners of a public hospital district established pursuant to chapter 70.44 RCW, may purchase liability insurance for themselves and other officers and employees of such district.

AGLO 1974 NO. 100 >

(1) To the extent that RCW 49.60.030, a part of the state law against discrimination, recognizes a civil right to engage in insurance transactions without discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical handicap, the state insurance commissioner is not required or authorized to enforce this right by means of the disapproval of insurance policy forms under RCW 48.18.110.

AGO 1960 NO. 101 >

An otherwise qualified foreign stock insurance company can be admitted to do business in Washington if its articles of incorporation do not (or under the law of the state of its domicile cannot) provide for liability of shareholders in the amount of the par value of their stock in addition to the amount paid for the shares.

AGLO 1973 NO. 109 >

It is not legally necessary for the legislature to make an appropriation from the state employees' insurance revolving fund in order to permit expenditures therefrom; where, however, an appropriation from this fund is made it constitutes a limitation upon the amount that may be expended during the period covered by the appropriation.

AGO 1962 NO. 110 >

(1) A county may be liable (a) for the cost of hospitalization and care of an injured county jail prisoner depending upon the prisoner's financial status; (b) for damages sustained by a county jail prisoner injured through negligent conduct attributable to the county. (2) Where there is a possible county liability, insurance may be purchased for the county by the board of county commissioners.

AGO 1964 NO. 123 >

Chapter 87, Laws of 1963 (RCW 48.20.390 and RCW 48.21.130) which includes the services of a licensed chiropodist under hospital-medical policies issued after June 12, 1963, applies to policies issued prior to that date but which are renewable at the option of the insurance company thereafter.  The act does not apply to noncancellable disability or guaranteed renewable disability policies negotiated prior to the effective date of the act.

AGO 1953 NO. 150 >

State departments may not pay out of public funds all or any part of the premium cost of group insurance coverage of their employees.

AGO 1950 NO. 214 >

A second class school district which has purchased an insurance policy from an automobile casualty company with premium definitely fixed and no provision for assessment, as a part of the same transaction may not make a contribution to a service corporation which is affiliated with the insurance company and where the making of such contribution is apparently required as a prerequisite to the obtaining of such insurance by the school district.

AGO 1958 NO. 215 >

(1)  Trading stamps which may be redeemable in cash or for credit toward the purchase of any type insurance are covered by the trading stamp act, chapter 19.84 RCW. (2)  Such trading stamps do not come within the licensing provisions of chapter 36.91 RCW.