Indiana Commissioner Dies
September 10, 2010 by Allison Bell
- By ALLISON BELL
Published 9/9/2010
Indiana Insurance Commissioner Carol Cutter has died.
Cutter died Sept. 6 in Indianapolis, according to a death notice posted by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), Kansas City, Mo.
Gov. Mitchell Daniels Jr., R, appointed Cutter to the commissioner post in June 2009. She succeeded Jim Atterholt, who left to go to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Cutter went on medical leave earlier this year. Stephen Robertson has been acting commissioner since June.
Cutter spent decades in the insurance industry working in property-casualty insurance agencies, life and health distribution organizations, and her own benefits enrollment firm. She was active in Indiana insurance groups.
When Cutter became a deputy commissioner for health issues in the Indiana department in 2005, she spent 18 months tackling a backlog of rate and form filings. Later, in June 2009, she testified at a hearing of the Senate Special Committee on Aging in favor of the idea of requiring mandatory actuarial-level reviews of long-term care insurance products. She also fought sellers of fake health insurance. In July 2009, she testified before a House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee about health insurance policy rescissions.
When Cutter was appointed commissioner, Paul Ogden, a former manager of the Indiana Title Insurance Division, posted a blog entry describing Cutter as an impressive professional regulator.
The Indiana State Association of Health Underwriters, Indianapolis, has named the Carol Cutter Legislative Excellence Award in Cutter’s honor.
NAIC President Jane Cline, the West Virginia insurance commissioner, says officials at the NAIC are deeply saddened to hear of Cutter’s passing. “Carol brought a wealth of experience and expertise to her job and her dedication to the people in her state was beyond comparison,” Cline says in a statement. “We extend our thoughts and condolences to Carol’s family and loved ones.”
