The Star’s recommendations for Kansas insurance commissioner, treasurer and attorney general
The governor’s race and U.S. Senate race in Kansas are generating all of the heat and light, but voters on Nov. 4 also have choices of candidates for three other statewide offices. Here are The Star’s recommendations for insurance commissioner, treasurer and attorney general.
Insurance commissioner
Both candidates vying to succeed Sandy Praeger as insurance commissioner are knowledgeable about the business. But Democrat Dennis Anderson is much better suited to help consumers and insurers navigate the shifting health insurance landscape than his GOP opponent, Ken Selzer.
Anderson supports insurance coverage for all Kansans. He is eager to help consumers find affordable policies through the federal insurance marketplace established by the Affordable Care Act. He wants Kansas to expand Medicaid eligibility so that people with limited incomes won’t continue to be excluded from health coverage. In short, he wants Kansans to receive maximum benefits from a law of the land.
Selzer, an accountant with extensive experience working for the insurance industry, harbors an unrealistic hope that a GOP takeover of the U.S. Senate in November would lead to a rollback of the Affordable Care Act. He opposes Medicaid expansion and supports Kansas divorcing itself from federal health care programs and administering them through a compact with other states. Selzer says he would be a strong advocate for consumers, yet he doesn’t think his job should include helping consumers find insurance options in the federal marketplace.
Anderson is a principal in A.D. Banker, an Overland Park-based company that educates insurance agents about the rules and regulations of the industry. That’s a good foundation to lead a department charged with the responsibility of making certain insurers follow the rules.
Praeger, who has gained a nationwide reputation for expertise in health insurance and for common sense, has crossed lines to support Anderson. Here’s hoping enough voters see fit to do the same.
Treasurer
Republican Ron Estes has been a capable and resourceful custodian of the state’s money during his first term. He deserves re-election.
The former Sedgwick County treasurer devised imaginative ways to connect Kansans to unclaimed property. He initiated the practice of mailing information about the state’s college savings program along with a newborn’s birth certificate.
To his credit, Estes championed a law that prohibits elected officials from using taxpayer funds to market assets of their office, such as the college saving program, during the election cycle. If re-elected, he says he wants to promote financial literacy education in Kansas schools.
Estes is opposed by Democrat Carmen Alldritt, a former treasurer of Harper County and former manager of the state’s Division of Vehicles. She has the right qualifications, but Estes knows the ropes and there is no reason for a change.
Attorney general
Although we often disagree with his decisions, incumbent Republican Derek Schmidt is the choice over Democrat A.J. Kottich in this low-key race.
Schmidt has been overly aggressive in taking on wrong causes, such as a challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to enforce its own rules. And he has opted not to get involved in cases that could help Kansans, such as joining with other attorneys general in actions concerning abuses by for-profit colleges. Schmidt’s recent decision to fight efforts to allow same-sex marriages in Kansas is also disappointing.
But he has been scrupulously professional in his administration of the office, refusing to use it as a springboard for personal crusades or a podium to inflame public sentiment in volatile criminal cases. He has done good work in strengthening his office’s anti-trafficking efforts.
Kottich has a long record working as a legal counsel in state offices. But he would be overmatched in the attorney general’s post.
This story was originally published October 10, 2014 at 5:00 PM.