Causey Sworn in for Second Term as North Carolina Insurance Commissioner
North Carolina Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey took the oath of office for his second term as North Carolina’s Insurance Commissioner last week.
Causey was sworn in Jan. 9 by North Carolina Chief Justice Paul Newby in a socially distanced ceremony on the Executive Mansion grounds, along with Gov. Roy Cooper, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and other Council of State members, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Insurance.
Causey, a Republican, defeated Wayne Goodwin, a past insurance commissioner who was defeated by Causey in 2016.
“I’m honored by the vote of confidence North Carolinians gave me during the November 2020 election,” Commissioner Causey commented after being sworn in. “Over the next four years, I pledge to work tirelessly to make insurance more transparent in the state, keep a healthy insurance market and protect insurance consumers throughout the state.
Causey talked to Insurance Journal prior to his re-election about some of his priorities if he continued in the position, including to continue reforming the North Carolina Rate Bureau (NCRB), which represents insurance companies writing property insurance in North Carolina and is not a part of NCDOI, one of his key priorities.
Causey said some of his top priorities for his second term include:
- Increase efforts to fight insurance fraud.
- Increase transparency with health insurance, health care billing and prescription drug pricing to address surprise billing issues and give consumers choices.
- Promote Hands-Free legislation to fight distracted driving to save lives and lower insurance premiums.
- Mitigate potential flood damage by encouraging consumers to purchase flood insurance. Causey has worked with the N.C. Rate Bureau to provide a private policy in the state as an alternative to the National Flood Insurance Program.
- Increase support for the fire service to boost injury and fire prevention.