NO MORE ‘ACTING’ FOR LA.’S WOOLEY

The Louisiana Department of Insurance announced that Robert Wooley officially dropped the “acting” from his title and is now Louisiana’s Commissioner of Insurance. Louisiana Constitution Article IV, Section 16 provides that Wooley, as the department’s first assistant, fill the vacancy created by Commissioner Jim Brown. Brown resigned on April 8, 2003. Brown’s resignation was not without its setbacks. His original resignation notice had not been notarized as was required, and the New Orleans Times Picayune reported that Secretary of State Fox McKeithen was forced to reject it. The original resignation notice would have become effective at noon April 4. The lack of notarization was thought to be an oversight. Brown, who’s been suspended since his conviction on charges of lying to an FBI agent, resigned from his office after the U.S. Supreme Court refused for a second time to review his conviction. According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court made no comment on the case; a previous appeal to the high court ended with the same result on Jan. 27. Wooley said one of his chief concerns is the availability and affordability of health insurance. He has partnered with the Department of Health and Hospitals on the LaChoice pilot program. “The Department of Insurance developed LaChoice to help reduce the cost of private health insurance for small employers. It’s our goal with LaChoice to help make employer-sponsored health insurance readily available and more affordable for Louisiana’s workers,” Wooley said. He also aims to encourage more homeowners insurers to do business in Louisiana, particularly along the coast. “As I’ve said so many times before, the number of companies writing below Interstate 10 has dwindled to just a handful since Hurricane Andrew more than 10 years ago. We are now starting to see more companies apply with the department to write homeowners insurance in coastal Louisiana, and that’s very encouraging,” Wooley said. “Increased competition makes for a healthier marketplace, and that means good news for consumers.” Wooley was the Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner when he took over as acting Commissioner in October 2000.

Topics Louisiana