Nick Gerhart, the Iowa insurance commissioner, willbe leaving that post Dec. 23, according to theIowa Insurance Division.

Doug Ommen, deputy commissioner, will be the interimcommissioner, officials say.

Gerhart is resigning because his family is expecting a fourthchild, and he has not committed to any other future job, arepresentative said.

Gerhart has a bachelor's degree from the University of NorthernIowa and a law degree from St. Louis University. He worked incompliance for insurance companies before becoming the Iowacommissioner.

While serving as the Iowa commissioner, Gerhart expressedconcerns about potentially misleading annuity advertising andoversaw the state's efforts to adapt to the Affordable Care Act.Iowa did not set up a state-based ACA public health insuranceexchange, but it did take ACA Medicaid expansion money.

Iowa also helped managers of HealthCare.gov, the federal ACAexchange enrollment and exchange account administration system,promote the program.

Gerhart faced an early sign of problems in major ACA coverageexpansion programs when CoOportunity, a nonprofit, member-ownedcarrier started with ACA Consumer Operated and Oriented Programstartup loans, failed suddenly in late 2014. CoOportunitywas the first CO-OP to fail. Since then, many others have shuttheir doors.

Related:

Are state insurance regulators overstepping theirmark?

Voters choose state insurancecommissioners

20 most helpful state insurancewebsites