Insurance Commissioner Gerhart stepping down
December 7, 2016 by Tony Leys
Iowa’s outspoken insurance commissioner is stepping down.
Nick Gerhart has resigned effective Dec. 23, the governor’s office announced Monday.
Gerhart was appointed to the four-year post on Feb. 1, 2013. He said in an interview Monday that he decided not to seek another term. His wife, Jessica, is expecting their fourth child in early January, which led him to decide on a career change, he said.
Gerhart, 41, oversaw regulation of all kinds of insurance, but he gained the most attention for helping guide the state through health-insurance changes wrought by the Affordable Care Act.
The Republican’s duties included dealing with the collapse of CoOportunity Health, a health-insurance cooperative set up with millions of federal dollars under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
Last month, Gerhart drew national notice for warning fellow Republicans not to abruptly repeal Obamacare before coming up with a suitable replacement. “An immediate repeal would lead to devastating consequences in the disruption of people’s care, and create even more uncertainty for millions of Americans. To ease the uncertainty, a transition time is required for any whole or partial suggested change,” he wrote in an essay posted online.
The commissioner also oversaw hearings on steep premium increases for Iowans who purchase their own health insurance. He told outraged customers last July that he sympathized with their plight, but that he would have to approve increases deemed justified by statistical experts.
Gerhart said Monday that he has not yet found a new job, but probably would wind up working in insurance. “That’s kind of the industry I know,” he said, joking that he also could go back to bartending.
Gerhart is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa and St. Louis University Law School, and worked as a vice president for the Sammons Financial Group and American Equity Investment Life Insurance before becoming the state insurance commissioner.
He said he expects to stay in the Des Moines area. “That’s my plan. I don’t think I could drag my wife out of Iowa, and I like it here, too,” he said with a chuckle. His predecessor as commissioner, Susan Voss, now works for a Des Moines insurance company.
The governor praised Gerhart’s service. “He is a bright and talented individual who focused on protecting the public while making the industry better and more competitive in our state. I want to wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Branstad said in a statement.
Branstad announced that he was appointing Deputy Commissioner Doug Ommen of Ankeny of interim insurance commissioner. Before taking his current Iowa job in 2013, Ommen worked more than 20 years in Missouri state government, including as its insurance commissioner.
