Republican candidates for insurance commissioner want to give consumers more options
Two Republican candidates for
Both
Shultz, of
Schmidt said
The state insurance department is responsible for regulating, reviewing and auditing insurance companies to make sure they comply with insurance laws. It also settles disputes between Kansans and insurance companies.
The winner of the
The two Republican candidates were divided on a 2014 bill that took a stand against the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
The health care compact bill, which was passed by the Legislature but failed to garner approval from
Opponents of the bill, including then-insurance commissioner
Shultz, who served in the
"I mildly supported it," Shultz said in June, acknowledging that the bill was "a political deal."
"There's nothing going to come of it," Shultz said. "It's a non-issue. There's been zero action on it."
Schmidt voted against the compact bill. She said she was opposed to giving the state control over how federal healthcare dollars are spent.
"We (the state) wouldn't have any guardrails on it. We could use that money for other things," Schmidt said. "I want to protect that Medicare for seniors. And the same thing for Medicaid."
"I'm not sure the state would make the best choices given a pot of money," Schmidt said.
Shultz chaired the Kansas
Shultz said his experience as an insurance auditor in the private sector is crucial to his run for state insurance commissioner. He said that auditing is a big part of the state insurance department's job.
"A lot of what we (the
"I went to small companies and made sure that they were following state and federal law," Shultz said. "I did that for 10 years."
Shultz said the state insurance department's job is to protect consumers and challenge companies when they deny insurance coverage.
"You have somebody whose wife or husband or child has been diagnosed with a serious, life-threatening disease," Shultz said. "We want to have the appropriate people go to bat immediately."
"When it's life and death, that's real stuff," Shultz said.
Schmidt, who chairs both the
"I became a pharmacist because I want to help people and that's the same reason I would like to be insurance commissioner," Schmidt said. "I think everybody needs an advocate."
Just as important, Schmidt said, is the state insurance commissioner's role as a regulator "to keep the bad apples out of the mix."
Schmidt, who works as a pharmacist in the
"I feel like I've had a lot of exposure to insurance and insurance issues," Schmidt said. "I get to have those conversations at the counter."
She said the rising cost of insurance is a common concern.
"What I hear people say over and over is the concern about the cost of insurance," Schmidt said. "It's past time that Kansans have had a discussion about the drivers of high cost."
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