September 2007

Delaware Insurance Commissioner Matt Denn

Matt Denn with Brian Bailey & Beverley Baxter

Think “insurance commissioner” equals “ho-hum”?  Think again.  Delaware’s history includes some colorful Insurance Commissioners.  Indeed, some of us remember some pretty bizarre behavior from Delaware Insurance Commissioners.  That’s partly why there was a sigh of relief with our last Insurance Commissioner that the office was so quiet.

Quiet is out.  When Matt Denn became Delaware’s Insurance Commissioner in January 2005, he came with a whirlwind of energy, ideas, and activity.  Within days of taking office Matt proposed new regulations and legislation and pledged to work collaboratively to get things done.

Things have gotten done.  Reorganization has included creation of the position of Consumer Services Director.  Regulations have included requiring insurance companies to provide prompt payment of charges to doctors, hospitals, and other medical providers.  Legislation has included gaining the power to crackdown on uninsured motorists by seizing the license plates of uninsured cars.  On August 1, the Governor signed SS1 for SB 31 which restricts the use of credit scoring in setting insurance rates.  This summer Matt launched a joint effort to sign up 1,000 children for the state’s Healthy Children Program, using unspent federal dollars which are currently returned to Washington.

Matt’s list of things-yet-to-do is long and his agenda is aggressive, including creation of a statewide health insurance purchasing pool.

What Matt does, impacts your bottom line.  From  workers comp to medicare, from auto insurance to healthcare, insurance rates to bogus insurance, and so much more, Matt’s actions matter.

Matt will tell us what’s next on his agenda and how it will impact you.

Beverley Baxter