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| Mike Kreidler, Democrat |
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| Candidate: Insurance commissioner |
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| Mike Kreidler |
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| Age: 56 |
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| Residence: Lacey |
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| Occupation: |
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Optometrist |
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| Education: |
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B.S., M.A. in public health, University of California, Los Angeles, Doctor of Optometry, Pacific University |
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| Political history: |
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Former state representative, U.S. representative; Northwest Power Planning Council member |
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| Endorsements: |
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Washington Conservation Voters, Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO, Washington Education Association |
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| Campaign Web site: http://www.kreidler2000.com |
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| Campaign theme: |
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Mike Kreidler -- A servant of Washington's people. |
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| 1. |
What would you do to make prescription drugs more affordable? |
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To reduce costs, I propose establishing a state prescription purchasing cooperative with voluntary membership. The cooperative is identical to prescription management in corporations. Volume discounts and rebates would be returned to participants -- saving as much as 45 percent per prescription for seniors and the underinsured. |
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| 2. |
What would you do to make health insurance more affordable and available for individual consumers? |
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Reduce drug costs. Restore a competitive individual market. Expand the State's Basic Health Plan to insure those most difficult to cover -- the poor. Simplify medical claims filings for doctors, hospitals and insurance companies so overhead costs are reduced. The objective is affordable, reliable coverage for all. |
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| 3. |
What changes are needed to protect insurance consumers' privacy? |
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Personal data should be personal property. I support legislation to make it illegal to gather information for one purpose and use it for another, without the permission of the consumer. Rules must be issued to protect financial information taken from consumers by insurance companies. |
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| 4. |
How would you assess the current insurance commissioner, Deborah Senn, and the job she has done in the last eight years? What would you do differently? |
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Commendably, Senn helped expand protections available to consumers and raised the profile of the office. We now need leadership that can work with the Legislature, consumers and interest groups to produce effective results. I will work on solutions with all groups -- getting results is the best way to protect consumers. |
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| 5. |
What would you do about the state's lack of accreditation from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners? Why is this important? |
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I will immediately submit a recovery plan, request probationary accreditation and re-prioritize the office budget so required staff are hired. Only as a last resort will I seek funding from the Legislature. Accreditation assures consumers that claims will be paid and keeps Washington companies from facing a competitive disadvantage. |
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