As President Barack Obama set up a task force to recommend ways to prevent tragedies like the mass murders in Newtown, Conn., a progressive group in Washington joined the call Wednesday for a new ban on assault weapons. But anyone expecting quick, decisive action from Congress should realize the reluctance to discuss, let alone vote on, such a proposal is rooted in the last time one was passed and the election that followed. Read more

OLYMPIA – The state insurance regulator is going after a company that claims to offer insurance against a hole-in-one prize but refused to pay off when a golfer shot one. Golf tournaments for charity often offer a large cash prize for any contestant who records a hole-in-one, and organizers buy insurance to pay the prize in the unlikely event that a golfer scores one. Read more

OLYMPIA — A Tacoma man who asked an insurance company to reimburse him $20,000 for the loss of a cat that he said died in a car accident is facing fraud charges. Yevgeniy Samsonov, 29, didn’t have the cat and used photos of felines from the Internet, the state insurance commissioner’s office said. Read more

Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler was among the first with instant analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on health care reform. Not surprisingly, Kreidler, who is a big supporter of the Affordable Care Act, was upbeat. His take: That Washington is ahead of most states because of steps it has taken to comply with the law. … Read more

Washington’s top insurance officials warned last week that undoing federal health care reforms will exacerbate the financial problems tied to growing numbers of uninsured residents. More than 1 million residents now lack health care coverage in the state. The number will grow to 1.1 million in 2013 if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down reform, according to a report released by Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler. Read more

OLYMPIA – Washington will receive a financial reward for forging ahead with one element of federal health care reform this spring while many other states were holding back. The U.S. Health and Human Services Department said Wednesday it will award Washington a $128 million grant to set up its Health Benefit Exchange, a place where small businesses and individuals can shop for health care coverage and compare different plans about as easily as they can shop online for airline tickets on Expedia or Priceline. Read more

OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire and other Democratic officials marked Friday’s second anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act – which Republicans prefer to call Obamacare – with a signing ceremony of their own. Gregoire signed legislation to help set up health insurance exchanges in Washington, a system that would help individuals and small businesses shop for medical plans by 2014. Read more

Gregoire signs Health Insurance Exchange bill. OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire and other Democratic officials marked Friday’s second anniversary of the signing of the Affordable Care Act – which Republicans prefer to call Obamacare – with a signing ceremony of their own. Gregoire signed legislation to help set up health insurance exchanges in Washington, a system that would help individuals and small businesses shop for medical plans by 2014. … Read more