Mike Chaney wins fourth term as insurance commissioner
Published 9:38 pm Tuesday, November 5, 2019
Mississippi’s Republican insurance commissioner has won a fourth term.
Mike Chaney of Vicksburg beat Democratic challenger Robert Amos of Byram on Tuesday.
A former state lawmaker, Chaney says he’ll continue trying to get private insurers to write more policies that cover wind and hail damage in hurricane-prone coastal areas.
He also says he wants to divert part of a tax on insurers who aren’t state-regulated to pay for rural firetrucks and a limited form of insurance for firefighters.
Amos said Chaney was doing too little to bring health insurance to lower-income Mississippians, as Republican leaders continue to spurn plans to expand the state-federal Medicaid program as envisioned under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
Chaney says he’s working on some other ideas to improve insurance access but hasn’t shared them.
