the Fıeld
A Visit With Agents of Change
THE
WATCHDOG In less than three years as Connecticut’s top insurance regulator, Andrew Mais is on the fast track to becoming a powerful voice for change in the industry. BY JOHN HILTON
14
InsuranceNewsNet Magazine » October 2021
A
ndrew Mais could not have known what he was getting into when he accepted Gov. Ned Lamont’s appointment as commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Insurance. Mais was just settling into a comfort zone balancing industry needs with consumer protection when COVID-19 appeared. The COVID-19 pandemic put many insurance commissioners on the spot over several insurer-consumer issues: whether auto insurers would grant premium refunds, whether business interruption policies were applicable and whether health insurers would extend benefits. Connecticut is home to insurance giants including Aetna, Cigna, The Hartford and Travelers. Mais made the rounds, seeking concessions and claims he was never turned down for any ask. He got health insurers to reopen insurance exchanges and offer a “premium payment holiday.” When restaurants closed to in-person dining and switched to deliveries, Mais convinced auto insurers to allow food delivery workers to be covered by regular insurance. “If your perception of the industry was of this conglomerate, this monolith that didn’t care about consumers, I do have to tell you it was heartwarming,” Mais said. Mais took over the office in February 2019, becoming the top watchdog for one of the nation’s most significant insurance hubs. Connecticut is home to more than 100 domestic insurers, or companies chartered, incorporated, organized or constituted under state laws. The state ranks No. 1 for insurance employment and payroll and has the highest concentration of actuaries in the U.S., according to the Insurance Information Institute. With so many influential companies, Connecticut can rightly be called “the insurance capital of the world,” said state Rep. Sean Scanlon. With that comes a lot of pressure on the insurance commissioner to provide leadership and innovation. “[Mais has] really been very effective in finding that sweet spot between being somebody who understands the importance of the industry but also understanding the importance of the consumer and protecting them when he or she can in
