Democrat Natasha Marcus, candidate for NC insurance commissioner, answers our questions
READ MORE
Candidates for NC insurance commissioner
Democrat Natasha Marcus is running against Republican incumbent Mike Causey. Get to know the candidates with our 2024 NC Voter Guide.
Expand All
To help inform voters about the Nov. 5, 2024, election, this candidate questionnaire is available to be republished by local publications in North Carolina without any cost. Please consider subscribing to The News & Observer to help make this coverage possible.
Name: Natasha Marcus
Political party: Democrat
Age as of Nov. 5, 2024: 55
Campaign website: NatashaMarcus.com
Current occupation: North Carolina Senator
Professional experience: Prior to serving as a state senator, I worked as a litigation attorney at the Brooks Pierce law firm and clerked for a federal judge in Greensboro. I also served in a development role at the Ada Jenkins Center, a community service center fostering financial independence in the North Mecklenburg area.
Education: BA Hamilton College (‘91), JD Duke University (‘94)
Please list any notable government or civic involvement. I’ve served as a state senator for six years, currently on the Senate Commerce and Insurance, Judiciary, Redistricting and Elections, Budget, Justice and Public Safety Approps, and Education committees. I’ve done community work for the past 20+ years, including Moral Monday protests, gun violence prevention, Habitat for Humanity builds, marches in support of women’s rights, volunteering at the local free health clinic, fostering homeless cats and kittens, and organizing voter registration drives.
What would be your top priority if elected?
Ending the excessive insurance rate hikes. (Insurance Commissioner Mike) Causey approved an unprecedented 16 insurance rate increases, allowing insurers to make excessive profits on the backs of North Carolinians. He’s never held a single public hearing — no data to justify the increases, no cross-examination. Instead, he makes deals with insurers behind closed doors. I’ll end the rate racket and restore transparency. I’m experienced in a courtroom-like setting and will hold the public hearings. More at NatashaMarcus.com.
What percentage raises should your state agency’s employees receive in the next state budget?
Vacancy rates are historically high. Low pay for skilled actuaries and other DOI experts makes it hard to do the job of commissioner: to ensure affordable, quality insurance for NC consumers. As a senator, I’ve fought for better pay for state employees and voted against the budgets that refused to do so. As commissioner, I will support competitive pay sufficient to retain and hire in the current market.
Will you attend all Council of State meetings?
Yes. Of course. That’s a key part of the job.
How will you work with the other nine members of the council, including the governor?
I serve on several bipartisan Senate committees. I’m experienced in state government, work well with the current governor, as I will with the next governor. I come prepared, respect others and am true to my word. I understand how the branches of government should work together to benefit the people. I will find bipartisan solutions to reduce insurance and housing costs, foster a vibrant marketplace of insurance options for NC consumers, and reduce fraud and uninsured drivers — all non-partisan goals.
Lawmakers recently made the Office of the State Fire Marshal a separate position from the Insurance Commissioner. Do you agree with that change? Why or why not?
Yes. According to his own party, Causey was stripped of his job as fire marshal for failing to fight for firefighters’ cancer coverage and for politicizing the position, using firefighters as political “pawns.” That’s unacceptable. I’m proud to be endorsed by the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics and look forward to partnering with them and volunteer firefighters. I support removing politics from the OSFM. Firefighters trust independent leadership by professional firefighters, and I do, too.
How should the insurance commissioner negotiate insurance rate increases and what level of input should the public have on those decisions?
Every commissioner since 1977 has held public hearings on rate hike requests except one: Causey. I’ll restore accountability and fight for the people by requiring insurance companies to justify their requests with data, presented under oath and subject to cross-examination. The public deserves a commissioner who won’t allow rates to go one penny higher than is justified. Every four years, we have the chance to elect a commissioner who will work for the people, not for the insurance companies.
How will you investigate insurance fraud cases and discipline perpetrators?
Insurance fraud costs consumers $300 billion plus, annually. The commissioner should crack down on fraud to save honest policyholders’ money. I’ll ensure employers don’t evade workers’ comp laws by misclassifying workers, which cheats workers of protections and unfairly disadvantages rule-abiding businesses. I’ll use DOI’s sworn law enforcement officers and tip line to investigate systemic unfairness and large-scale fraud, not just the small cases, but the more significant, costly cases that Causey ignores.
Is there an issue on which you disagree with your party? What is your position on that issue?
Some Democrats accept donations that raise questions about whether public advocacy is their first priority. When officials — whether members of my party or my opponent, who has accepted over $250,000 from insurance industry sources — take money from special interests, it creates conflicts of interest. I’m not accepting insurance company money, so I remain unentangled with the industry I will be empowered to regulate and can work for the public’s best interest.
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 1:14 PM with the headline "Democrat Natasha Marcus, candidate for NC insurance commissioner, answers our questions."
