By KHI NEWS SERVICE
KHI News Service
TOPEKA — Five candidates are seeking the Republican nomination for Kansas insurance commissioner, an office that has been dominated by Republicans since its creation in 1871. In the 20th century, only one Democrat has held the office, Kathleen Sebelius, who used it as a springboard to become Kansas governor in 2003 and, in 2009, Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Obama administration. It was Sebelius who oversaw the rollout of the signature legislative achievement of the administration’s first term, the Affordable Care Act, or, as it has become known, Obamacare.
Not surprisingly in one of the reddest of red states, all five Republicans oppose the health reform law, although only one, Ken Selzer, explicitly favors its repeal.
The five are vying to succeed Sandy Praeger, who was elected in 2003 and is stepping down. Praeger, a moderate Republican, supports Obamacare, which has put her at odds with the state’s conservative governor, Sam Brownback.
While it may appear surprising that so many people are seeking the office, the insurance commissioner wields considerable power. The office regulates insurance companies, examines them for financial solvency, ensures compliance with insurance regulations, licenses insurance agents, and educates and assists consumers. Since the passage of Obamacare, it has assumed even greater importance as the state agency responsible for overseeing the law’s implementation in Kansas.
We profile four of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination on Aug. 5. The fifth, John Toplikar, a former Kansas House member who now serves as county commissioner for Johnson County’s 6th District, did not respond to numerous requests for an interview.
The Republican selected in the primary will face off in the fall against the lone Democrat in the race, Dennis Anderson.
Beverly Gossage
Beverly Gossage stands out as the only woman among the five Republican candidates for Kansas insurance commissioner.
But she’s in lockstep with her male counterparts when it comes to the highest-profile issue in the race: the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare — the health reform measure that was the signature accomplishment of the Obama administration’s first term — and how she sees it affecting health insurance.
“People have fewer policies to choose from; people are losing their policies,” Gossage says. “There’s less competition. Premiums are increasing. I see this every day with my clients.”
David Powell
David Powell didn’t choose insurance sales as his original career path. He was a mathematics teacher and coach in El Dorado when the Texas-based American Amicable Life Insurance Company contacted him in 1977.
The company had a recruiting program aimed at coaches. Powell says it was based on the notion that the preparation required for coaching would be useful for selling life insurance.
“Your success, of course, depends on your ability to prepare for the next interview in this case, and that’s what I did. I was very successful,” says Powell. “When I found that I made more money that summer part-time than I made as a teacher coaching five sports, I decided the following year that I would go full-time.”
Ken Selzer
Ken Selzer points to another farm state in laying out his vision for a Kansas insurance industry that best serves consumers.
Iowa, he says, has attracted insurance corporations with its streamlined regulations and colleges and universities that produce qualified workers.
“We could do that here in Kansas,” Selzer says. “We need to have a business-minded, business-focused head of the department who can work with companies so that they are competing every day for consumers’ dollars. That will improve affordability, coverage and availability in the state of Kansas.”
Clark Shultz
Clark Shultz is the most seasoned politician among the five Republicans running for Kansas insurance commissioner.
In this era of the political outsider, that’s not the advantage that it used to be. But in a down-ballot race, Shultz is counting on the experience factor to give him an edge over his competitors for the GOP nomination.
“The strength that I have is an 18-year legislative history and 10 years of being insurance chairman in the House,” Shultz says. “I’ve really dealt with every conceivable issue.”
John Toplikar
John Toplikar, a former Kansas House member who now serves as county commissioner for Johnson County’s 6th District, did not respond to numerous requests for an interview.