What is an insurance commissioner?
The insurance commissioner is a statewide elected official who runs the California Department of Insurance, which regulates the state's insurance industry. The commissioner approves or rejects insurers’ rate changes, licenses companies and agents, investigates consumer complaints and fraud, and enforces state insurance law. Voters elected the office through Proposition 103 in 1988, and the commissioner serves a four‑year term, limited to two terms.
Would Ben make it easier for citizens to file claims?
Yes. Ben Allen would require insurers to explain claim denials, provide real‑time reports on delays and outstanding claims after a disaster, and strengthen enforcement of existing claims laws, including adding a consumer‑advocate role and more customer‑service staff. This would make the claims‑filing process clearer and more accountable for citizens.
What about Jane?
Jane Kim would require insurers to pay interest on delayed or denied claims and to make immediate payouts after disasters. She also proposes minimum loss‑ratio rules and would bar premium increases or non‑renewals triggered by filing a claim, aiming to protect policyholders and improve the claims process.
What is the main things they disagree on
They diverge most on how to provide universal disaster coverage. Ben Allen opposes a state‑run disaster insurance pool and wants to expand and stabilize the private market, while Jane Kim proposes a state‑run “natural disaster insurance for all” pool funded by redirecting existing premiums. This fundamental difference shapes their separate approaches to the FAIR Plan, mitigation funding and insurer accountability.
What has worked or not worked in the past according to the candidates?
Ben Allen notes that no country operates a comprehensive, single‑payer natural‑disaster insurance system, calling such a state‑run pool “a pie in the sky” and implying that past attempts elsewhere have not succeeded. Jane Kim points to programs in New Zealand, France and Spain as examples that have worked, using them to support her proposal for a state‑run disaster‑insurance pool.