NU Online News Service, May 25, 10:48 a.m. EDT

Congressional staffers appear to be showing more interest in learning about the insurance industry, as the number of staffers attending a recent seminar on insurance basics soared compared to previous years.

The Griffith Insurance Education Foundation held four seminars on the basic principles of risk management and insurance during April and May for Congressional staff in Washington, D.C.

Melissa Wheeler, director of public policymaker education for The Griffith Foundation, says this is the fourth year of the seminars.

At the sessions in 2009, there were 59 attendees. The figure dropped to 19 the following year, but rose slightly to 22 in 2011, which also saw the program expand to include health insurance. The number of sessions also increased in 2011 from three to four.

This year, the number of attendees jumped to 150.

Wheeler credits the increase to increased outreach. She notes that some sessions this year were held during Congressional recess.

But she also believes that the increased attendance can be attributed to federal interest in insurance.

The sessions, in order of presentation, were:

The Basic Principles of Risk Management and Insurance, taught by James M. Carson of the University of Georgia.
The Business of Insurance, the best-attended session, taught by Robert E. Hoyt, the Dudley L. Moore Jr. chair of Risk Management and Insurance and RMI Department Head at the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business.
Risk Management and Public Policy, taught by Rob B. Drennan Jr., an associate professor of Risk Management and Insurance and chairman of the Department of Risk, Insurance and Healthcare Management at the Fox School of Business and Management at Temple University.
The Basic Principles of Health Insurance, also taught by Drennan.

"It is our interest to continue these sessions on an annual basis," says Wheeler. She notes that post-evaluation comments indicated that attendees found the sessions "relevant and useful."

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