Something's cooking: Raphael Baker and his campaign for insurance commissioner (GA)
What exactly does the insurance commissioner do?
For starters, the main purpose is to regulate insurance practices statewide. This includes (but is not limited to) licensing (of businesses and professionals in the industry), fraud investigation (of both businesses and entities), company regulations, and even fire coding and safety (as what you are used to seeing in an elevator or related public venues).
When it comes to who is running for this cabinet level position, that may not always be clear. However, our interview with Raphael Baker makes it clear, as his platform is a blend of a solid wealth of experience balanced with better practices and improved engagement with industry leadership, consumers, and ultimately, Georgia residents.
His more than 2 decades of experience at multiple levels of the industry range from having his own agency to the work he is doing within industry leadership, but it's more than just sharing his expertise. It's about improved education for the consumer and implementing improved policy to address areas of concern as it relates to insurance.
Data shows the state of Georgia has (on average) the 5th highest auto premiums in the country.
"In some instances, consumers are paying more for their insurance than their car note", Baker notes.
Through the implementation of a more segmented approach, he feels it can not only reduce average premium rates, but provide a more pragmatic approach for consumers. Instead of lumping all drivers in the same pool, separate pools would be created for drivers with solid driving records and those whose records may be more questionable (and making sure to use one's driving record as the standard instead of incorporating variables to determine one's premium which have little if anything to do with how they actually drive). This "common sense" approach rewards drivers with improved records with lower premiums.
With his people over politics (and party) approach, Baker's focus on positive and constructive engagement of insurance industry leadership to "town hall" (in-person and virtual) opportunities with consumers can help provide further insight of needs as it relates to insurance. The hope is doing so allows for improved change and reform of policy and procedure which allows for improved business practices, regulation, and consumer protection.
"People want reform; it's not just a metro-Atlanta issue, but a statewide issue", he advises.
Baker's upcoming schedule includes in-person and virtual opportunities on April 20th (with the North Georgia Blue Podcast), April 23rd (at the Residence Inn near Emory University in Decatur, GA) where the public can come in and speak individually and collectively about their concerns, April 30th (in Savannah, GA for the statewide conference for county commissioners where he'll have a section in the Buyer's Mart), and May 2nd (as a Facebook Live/Watch debate with other candidates for office).
To learn more about his insurance expertise, platform, and related engagement, readers are encouraged to visit his website (click HERE for details). Likewise, readers may add and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for additional updates.
He concludes, "You cannot sit around and wait for change. You have to be the change you want to see. Once you move and create (positive) movement behind faith, you can create (positive) change".
Some good things are cooking via the work and campaign of Raphael Baker.
