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Jesse O’Brien Named Consumer Representative to the NAIC

December 18, 2013

The healthcare advocate for OSPIRG, Jesse O’Brien is among 30 consumer liaison representatives appointed to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners for 2014. The NAIC is the country’s standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the nation’s chief insurance regulators.

O’Brien said he hopes to use this new platform to help promote consumer engagement with insurance policy and within NAIC Itself. His new role is in addition to his OSPIRG job responsibilities working on state policy issues.

“I am excited to have this opportunity to represent the interests of Oregon consumers on the national stage,” O’Brien told The Lund Report. “With health reform still a political football and the cost of healthcare continuing to rise, the NAIC urgently needs to hear the voices of consumers. Reportedly, the 30 consumer representatives from across the nation face off with over a thousand industry lobbyists at each national meeting. I look forward to this challenge. I hope that my presence and advocacy at the NAIC will help influence some other states to take Oregon’s lead in holding insurers accountable for bringing down healthcare costs.”

According to Adam Hamm, NAIC president-elect and North Dakota insurance commissioner, the consumer liaison representatives serve a crucial role in protecting all consumers, “which is a top priority for state insurance regulators,” he said. "This important program informs the work of the NAIC and gives regulators a more complete picture of how our work impacts consumers in our states."

Diane can be reached at [email protected].

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