Learn more about Natasha Marcus, one of RCDP’s guest speakers at our June breakfast on 6/8/24. In a March 2024 opinion to the Citizen Times, Marcus explains why she is running to serve as our next NC Commissioner of Insurance.
From the letter: North Carolina law allows insurance companies to make a reasonable profit. It’s important to balance their reasonable profits with reasonable prices for consumers because we want insurance companies to continue to do business here, and to offer a wide range of policies from which North Carolinians can choose. We don’t want to drive insurance companies out of our state completely. The right balance protects consumers. We should not look the other way while insurance companies use CTR and private agreements with the Commissioner to make record profits and overcharge North Carolina families. North Carolinians deserve an Insurance Commissioner who remembers why we elect someone to do this important job on the Council of State.
Read more about her campaign at: https://natashamarcus.com/.
From the campaign page:
Commissioner of Insurance is a Council of State position that allows me to look out for everyone in North Carolina who needs insurance — to ensure rates are fair, coverage is as-advertised, and valid claims are paid. The Insurance Commissioner has authority over all insurance companies doing business in our state, the Consumer Protection Fund, the Safe Kids Program, and the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program. The Dept of Insurance oversees fire safety and building inspections, and is also a main source of information about insurance policies and claims, including worker’s compensation. In other words, the Insurance Commissioner’s work touches almost every North Carolinian — young and old, workers, motorists, patients, homeowners, firefighters, and business owners — and should be held by someone who is on the side of the people.
…My opponent, the Republican incumbent, “Rate Hike Mike” Causey, is an insurance industry insider, who forgets that he was elected by the people to be their voice. During his eight years in office, he has approved an unprecedented number of rate hikes, with two more on the way, and refuses to hold public hearings. Instead of a transparent process where insurance companies are required to provide proof under oath, subject to cross examination, to justify higher rates, Causey skips the public hearings and makes private settlements that allow rates to increase again and again. He says we should just trust that he’s getting us a fair deal. There is a complete lack of transparency! He’s been caught in multiple scandals, making clear that he is not working for best interests of the people, and is known for his close ties to the insurance industry and consistent willingness to allow their profits to soar, while North Carolinians’ wallets get squeezed.
In January 2024, insurers requested an outrageous jump in homeowners’ rates (42% average statewide and 99% on the coast), which is more than many people can afford. Yet when folks traveled from all over the state to speak at the public comment forum in Raleigh, Causey did not even show up to listen! I was there and I heard folks loud and clear.
We need a new Commissioner of Insurance who will do the job right, advocating for the people’s best interests and forcing insurance companies to justify their rates at public hearings. I’ll be that new leader and I ask for your support this year.