Shultz’s run for insurance post based in experience
Shultz's visit involved an address regarding the Kansas Firefighter Relief Act at the
Shultz will be facing off against Sen.
By statute, Shultz said, the insurance commissioner should be someone well versed in the insurance industry with a wealth of experience. He said he has been practicing as a licensed insurance agent since 1999 and worked for 10 years as an auditor for a national title insurance underwriter.
Statute also dictates that the focus of the commissioner's office should be on consumer advocacy, Shultz said, adding that the office took around 18,000 phone calls last year in person, fielding concerns on everything from hail damage to insurance coverage for crucial medications.
According to Shultz, the office also has been responsible for licensing the roughly 23,000 in-state insurance agents and 107,000 agents selling insurance in
Shultz spent 17 years in the
As a senator, he served as the
"All of that I think is good for the state because as... (insurance) commissioner, you're watching over the citizens of
He compared himself to
After working in the state insurance department for three and half years, Shultz says he's ready for the job.
Schmidt, his opponent, is a pharmacist by trade with no direct experience in the state insurance department, though she currently chairs the
"In three and a half years working in the department, I'm equipped. I am," Shultz said. "Insurance is complicated business. It's not just a general business. It's very technical in nature. It's very diverse."
Shultz says he feels good about his run this time because he's been active in the department, knows the players and companies, and is "up to speed" on what's going on.
"I think the more experience that a person can have in this position, the better it is for consumers," Shultz said. "That's what I believe, and I think that the Legislature years ago knew that and they put that in statute, and I think they're correct."
Shultz noted the increasing role of insurance in people's everyday lives, from health insurance to cellphone insurance. He said he thinks the importance of well regulated, efficient insurance continues to increase.
During his visit to The Telegram, Shultz was accompanied by
Neufeld noted that Shultz served as vice chairman on the
"The important qualification that Clark never talks about, in the 24 years I was around the Legislature, (is that) Clark is the most trusted legislator in the history of the capital as far as I'm concerned," Neufeld said.
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