Vicki Schmidt’s experience makes her the right choice for Kansas Insurance Commissioner
Republican state Sen. Vicki Schmidt is the right choice to replace Ken Selzer as Kansas Insurance Commissioner.
Schmidt’s 14 years as a legislator give her an edge over her opponent, political newcomer Nathaniel McLaughlin.
McLaughlin, a Kansas City, Kan. Democrat, is a retired administrator in the health care industry.
Kansas is one of only 11 states where the insurance commissioner is elected and not appointed. The commissioner serves as the head of the independent Kansas Department of Insurance, which regulates and reviews companies for financial solvency and regulatory compliance with state law and works to settle disputes between insurance companies and consumers.
Schmidt was first elected in 2004 to represent Kansas’ District 20. Her background as a Topeka-area pharmacist is a strength. Her professional experience, coupled with her years in the Legislature should prepare her to hit the ground running as insurance commissioner.
A moderate, Schmidt is widely respected by other lawmakers. She has a history of working across party lines. She supports Medicaid expansion and served on a bipartisan KanCare oversight committee that pushed, and finally filled, the long vacant inspector general position in charge of the health care program for the poor.
Schmidt has chaired legislative committees that deal directly with Kansas insurance issues, providing additional experience that should equip her to serve a four-year term as insurance commissioner.
McLaughlin is seeking office for the first time. He has limited public service experience and provided few specifics about how he would approach this job.
Both candidates in this race deserve credit, though, for running positive campaigns and for their commitment to comity in this race. Schmidt and McLaughlin have declined to attack each other, focusing instead on their own ideas and arguments.
“Vicki and I early out agreed we’re not going to talk about the color of each other’s shoestrings,” McLaughlin said in his interview with The Star editorial board. He also said that they’d agreed that “Kansas would survive” no matter which of them prevails, and that they plan to have a cup of coffee together after the Nov. 6 election.
That might seem like a small thing, but these days, it isn’t.
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Schmidt, 63, wants to recruit more insurance companies to Kansas, expanding competition and ultimately saving consumers money.
She supports retaining certain provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including coverage for pre-existing medical conditions and allowing children to stay on a parent’s health insurance policy until age 26.
Kansas is long overdue to elect an African-American to statewide office. And McLaughlin’s collaborative nature and background in health care and human resources are indeed strengths.
But Schmidt’s 40 years of experience as a pharmacist and her legislative background make her the better option for Kansas insurance commissioner.
This story was originally published October 30, 2018 at 2:45 PM.