| FROM THE COMMISSIONER |
A record of growth
Praeger looks back on three terms as Commissioner
SANDY PRAEGER
Kansas Insurance Commissioner
T
his will be my last column for KIA&B. By the
time most of you read this I will have left office,
and Ken Selzer will be the new Kansas Insurance
Commissioner.
I have so many thoughts about the last 12 years as the
steward of the insurance department. The work that
department staff members and KAIA officials have
collaborated on and moved forward has been ongoing and
fruitful in many cases.
I hope that we have lived up to what I said in the first
column I wrote for this publication, the January/
February 2003 edition: “Our goal at the Kansas Insurance
Department is to serve you promptly, fairly and efficiently
... As your Commissioner, you can count on me to stand
up for consumers, strengthen competitive balance in the
Kansas marketplace and streamline government services
with other agencies.”
In looking back over my terms of office, I came across
several items that might be of interest to KAIA members.
The comparisons below show how insurance in Kansas has
changed over the past dozen years.
Money sent to the state general fund — In FY 2003 the
Kansas Insurance Department passed $94.9 million to the
state general fund budget in collected fees and insurance
taxes from companies and agents. In FY 2014, that number
was $173.438 million.
Consumer complaints — I believe that every year I
have been commissioner we have had fewer consumer
complaints about insurance issues. In FY 2003 we had
5,757 actual filed complaints. In FY 2013 the number was
2,696. I think our emphasis on consumer education, and
our advocacy for policyholders when they had issues with
companies, have contributed mightily toward that decline.
Being a savvy insurance consumer means taking care of
concerns before they become issues — and having a savvy
insurance agent who can head off problems before they
begin.
Number of licensed agents — With products and markets
increasing, the number of licensed agents in Kansas has
boomed during the past 12 years, mostly in the number
of nonresident agents doing business in the state. In 2003
there were 23,292 resident agents and 33,768 nonresident
agents. As of late November 2014 we had 22,535 resident
and 92,284 nonresident agents for a total of 114,819.
One other note for agents — our computerized agent
renewal process at KID has been a positive improvement
for you as agents and for us as department personnel. We
have both benefitted from the technology boom.
Growth of the industry in the state — In 2003 the insurance
industry in Kansas was an $11 billion economic force.
Today that number stands at $17 billion. Through careful
use of free market principles and judicious regulation, KID
continues to oversee a vibrant industry that serves both
consumers and companies fairly.
One other growth item — More than 240 more companies
have been licensed to do business in the state since 2003.
I’m proud of the accomplishments of the department and
our staff members during my tenure. I believe, on the
whole, we have done a good job of balancing the threelegged stool of regulation, education and advocacy. And we
couldn’t have done this without the help of KAIA.
Thank you for your service to your clients. Good Kansas
agents will always be important and valuable to all of us.
|January-February 2015| KANSAS INSURANCE AGENT & BROKER
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