Koken Back As NAIC's 2005 President

By Jim Connolly

NU Online News Service, Dec. 6, 11:59 a.m. EST, New Orleans?The National Association of Insurance Commissioners meeting here has reelected interim president Diane Koken for 2005 and elected Alessandro Iuppa to the new post of president elect.[@@]

Ms. Koken, the Pennsylvania insurance commissioner, took over in September when then-NAIC president Ernst Csiszar resigned to become chief executive officer of Property Casualty Insurers Association of America in Des Plaines, Ill.

Mr. Csiszar's vice president Jim Poolman also quit in September to spend more time with his family. He was replaced by Oregon Administrator Joel Ario, who was reelected for 2005, as was NAIC Secretary-Treasurer Sandy Praeger, the Kansas insurance commissioner.

Creation of the new post held by Mr. Iuppa, the superintendent of insurance in Maine, required a vote to change the NAIC organization bylaws.

During the executive and plenary session the reason offered for creating the post of president-elect was to create an additional officer who could help with the growing workload of national and international commitments. Those commitments were cited as both necessary and time consuming.

Ms. Praeger said that one of her points of focus while in office will be health insurance. She heads up the Health Insurance and Managed Care (B) Committee.

Ms. Praeger is currently addressing the health insurance issue in Kansas. She said that she has just promoted Medicaid expansion through a business/health partnership to encourage cost-effective alternatives.

The drive was an effort undertaken with Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Ms. Sebelius was a former Kansas insurance commissioner and a former head of the "B" Committee and NAIC president.

Special Reports /

Koken Back As NAIC's 2005 President

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