Keep Kreidler in charge of key agency

No, the state insurance commissioner does not go around commissioning insurance. Rather, he or she heads up an important regulatory agency that oversees the insurance industry in the state.

Individuals and businesses in Washington spend about $24 billion each year in premiums for all kinds of insurance. Thus, one of the main concerns of the office is to ensure that all authorized insurance companies meet and maintain rigid financial, legal and other requirements for doing business in the state.

The agency is self-supporting through administrative fees. It was created by the first state Legislature in 1889 as part of the secretary of state's office and became an independent agency in 1907.

Democrat Mike Kreidler has performed admirably as insurance commissioner for eight years and now wants voters to give him a third term in the Nov. 4 general election. The job pays $116,950 a year.

His opponent now, as he was four years ago, is Republican John Adams, a Seattle insurance broker. While Adams is affable guy who is knowledgeable about insurance, he does not bring the kind of broad experience and management credentials we think it would take to make a case for replacing the incumbent. He has raised virtually no campaign money.

Kreidler continues to restore credibility to the office after the stormy tenure of his predecessor, Deborah Senn. He appears to have a good grasp of all aspects of the job and his background makes him effective. He was a former state legislator, member of Congress and regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services before being elected to his present post in 2000.

He has stood up to insurance companies in the past, forcing reductions in rate increase requests and backing reforms of medical malpractice insurance that give his office the authority to review and approve or deny malpractice insurance rates. That came a year after he properly opposed two dueling initiatives in 2005 -- one supported by doctors, the other by trial lawyers -- that he felt lacked the balance needed to obtain meaningful reforms.

He is also a vocal supporter of legislation to create "catastrophic insurance" for the state's residents, up to age 65, when they become eligible for Medicare. Basically, it calls for health-care coverage that kicks in with full coverage once medical costs exceed $10,000 in a given year. It would be primarily funded by a payroll tax paid by both employers and employees and would be handled only by private carriers.

We find the concept intriguing and deserving of full legislative debate and hearings. Kreidler says he will make it a departmental request of the Legislature if re-elected.

If there's one issue we would like to see a bit more vocal leadership on during his tenure, it would be advocacy for stronger laws on uninsured motorists, a real problem in Central Washington. He should use the bully pulpit of his office to persuade legislators to find the ways and means to help law enforcement get uninsured drivers off the road.

We've endorsed each of Kreidler's bids for election in 2000 and 2004. We find no reason to break that string in 2008.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Sarah Jenkins, Bill Lee and Karen Troianello.

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