Mike Kreidler | |
|---|---|
 Kreidler in 2005 | |
| 8thInsurance Commissioner of Washington | |
| In office January 10, 2001 – January 15, 2025 | |
| Governor | Gary Locke Christine Gregoire Jay Inslee |
| Preceded by | Deborah Senn |
| Succeeded by | Patty Kuderer |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's9th district | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Randy Tate |
| Member of theWashington Senate from the22nd district | |
| In office April 18, 1991 – January 11, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Lela Kreidler |
| Succeeded by | Karen Fraser |
| In office January 14, 1985 – January 8, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Dick Hemstad |
| Succeeded by | Lela Kreidler |
| Member of theWashington House of Representatives from the22nd district | |
| In office January 10, 1977 – January 14, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Del Bausch |
| Succeeded by | Jolene Unsoeld |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Myron Bradford Kreidler (1943-09-28)September 28, 1943 (age 82) Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Lela Kreidler |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Pacific University (BS) University of California, Los Angeles (OD,MPH) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Unit | United States Army Reserve |
Myron Bradford Kreidler (born September 28, 1943) is an American physician and politician who previously served as the eighthWashington Insurance Commissioner. A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously served one term in theCongress, representingWashington's 9th congressional district.
Kreidler holds a bachelor's degree fromPacific University inForest Grove, Oregon.[1] After his US Army service as an optometry officer, he earned a doctor of optometry and a master of public health degree in health administration from theUCLA School of Public Health.[2]
He was employed as an optometrist by Group Health Cooperative of the Puget Sound in the Olympia clinic for twenty years.[2] In 1973, he won a seat on the North Thurston School Board.[2] He also served in the Washington State Legislature for 16 years.[2]
Kreidler served 16 years in theWashington Legislature.[2][3] He was in theWashington House of Representatives from 1976 to 1984 and then theWashington State Senate from 1984 to 1992. He was elected to theUnited States Congress as aRepresentative from the9th congressional district of Washington in 1992.[3][4] He was defeated byRepublicanRandy Tate in 1994.[3]
Following his re-election defeat to Congress in 1994, he was appointed to the Northwest Power Planning Council in 1995 by Washington GovernorMike Lowry and subsequently re-appointed by GovernorGary Locke.[5] He served on the NWPPC until 1998 when he was appointed Regional Director for theUnited States Department of Health and Human Services's Region 10 office inSeattle, Washington, serving in that post until 2000, when he resigned in order to seek election to the office of Washington State Insurance Commissioner.[6]
Kreidler is Washington's eighth insurance commissioner. He was first elected as insurance commissioner in 2000.[2][1] He was re-elected to a sixth term in2020, winning 65% of the vote, the best performance for a statewide Democrat in that election cycle.[7]
He retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Army Reserves with 20 years of service.[8]
Kreidler has focused on health reform most of his career and worked to implement the Affordable Care Act in Washington state. He was the first insurance commissioner[9] to reject President Obama's proposal to give insurers another year to sell pre-Affordable Care Act plans and testified before Congress on the law's impact on Washington state.
He has opposed efforts by the Trump administration to dismantle the Affordable Care Act,[10] including coverage for pre-existing conditions and limiting the sale of short-term medical plans.[11]
In 2019, Kreidler proposed legislation banning the practice of surprise medical billing. After several extreme cases[12] were highlighted in the news, support for his proposal increased and the bill was signed into law later that year.
Kreidler has taken action against fake health sharing ministries[13] and in 2019, he fined one company and its affiliate more than $1 million for selling sham health sharing ministry memberships in Washington state to thousands of consumers.
Since 2007, Kreidler has chaired the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' Climate Change and Global Warming 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.[14]
In April 2022,The Seattle Times reported that several former employees or interviewed candidates for positions in the Office of the Insurance Commissioner had described racist or derogatory terms used by Kreidler from 2017 to 2022. The report also alleged that he had asked for "unusual favors" from non-white employees and that Kreidler had been "demeaning or rude" in interactions.[22] GovernorJay Inslee and the majority and minority leaders of both legislative chambers asked Kriedler to resign due to the allegations, his admittance of fault, and the firing of an aide who had been critical of Kriedler's behavior.[23] Kriedler stated in June 2022 that he would not resign;[24] on May 1, 2023, he announced that he would not run for a seventh term in the2024 elections.[25]
Kreidler resides inLacey, Washington with his wife,Lela Kreidler. They have three grown children[2] and three grandchildren. He is a member of several professional and fraternal organizations. He retired from the United States Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel, after serving on active duty as an optometrist during theVietnam and firstPersian Gulf wars.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's 9th congressional district 1993–1995 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Insurance Commissioner of Washington 2001–2025 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
