The insurance industry poured more than $4.5 million into the race, setting spending records for an office that rarely receives attention. Most of the money went to support Republican Mike Villines rather than Democrat Dave Jones, a Sacramento assemblyman, although Jones won the race with 50.5 percent of the vote as compared to Villines 37.8 percent.
At stake is federal health care reform in California. The insurance commissioner will have control over how, and when, it's implemented in the state, affecting millions of residents who currently lack insurance as well as the rates for those who already do have insurance.
Barbara O'Connor, professor of communications at Sacramento State University, stated, "The insurance commissioner is really the state's watchdog, and in the past has been very successful in reversing some rate hikes. That office provides very important consumer protections."
In his campaign, Jones said he would push to quickly implement national health care reform in California, taking extra steps to protect women's reproductive health options and obtaining low rates for the state's 6 million residents who are currently uninsured.
Jones has had success in the past fighting the insurance industry. He launched the legislative investigation when Anthem Blue Cross raised its rates 39 percent in California, resulting in the insurance giant lowering the increase to 14 percent. He also authored a bill, which became law last year, to prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against women.
"People spend a lot of money on insurance. It's a tremendous part of a family's and business' budget," he said. "I think the job of insurance commissioner can be California's most important consumer protection agency. Right now it's not, but I think I can do some good there."
Villines, an assemblyman from Fresno, opposed most aspects of national health care reform but said he would push hard to protect people with pre-existing conditions and to make the process more transparent.
Earlier this year, the governor signed a bill Villines authored that helps those with pre-existing conditions obtain health insurance.
Insurance companies, because they're regulated by the insurance commissioner's office, cannot donate directly to candidates' campaigns. Many of the pro-Villines donations were through the California Chamber of Commerce and a group called Jobs Pac. George Joseph, chair of Mercury Insurance, has given $1 million to Jobs Pac.
Information from a Nov. 1 online San Francisco Chronicle article.