Regulatory Panel
HealthMarkets has established a Regulatory Advisory Panel that is independent and provides objective advice and guidance regarding regulatory and compliance issues, trends and initiatives. The panel reports directly to the Compliance and Governance Committee of the Board of Directors. Sue Stead, who served in the Ohio Department of Insurance, chairs this committee. Others who have also been appointed to the Company’s Regulatory Advisory Panel are Tommy Thompson, former Secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services, Audrey Samers, former Deputy Superintendent and General Counsel of the New York State Insurance Department and Jose Montemayor, who served for twelve years at the Texas Department of Insurance, including six as State Insurance Commissioner.
Susan Stead is a partner at Nelson Levine de Luca & Horst, LLC, in Columbus, Ohio, serving in the national insurance regulatory practice. She counsels insurers on regulatory requirements, regulatory approvals and investigations. From 1990 to 2005, she served in the Ohio Department of Insurance, including six years as assistant director within the Office of Investigative & Licensing Services, where she was responsible for the Market Conduct, Fraud & Enforcement, and Agent Licensing divisions. Her accomplishments including implementing national uniformity standards for market conduct examinations and performance measures for investigative units. Prior to that, she served as staff counsel for the department, providing legal advice and support to investigative divisions of state departments of insurance. She is a member of the IRES Foundation Board. At the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), she has chaired several committees including the Producer Licensing Uniformity Subgroup, Market Conduct Annual Statement Subgroup and the Limited Lines Subgroup.
José Montemayor joined Black Diamond Capital Partners on June 1, 2005, following twelve years at the Texas Department of Insurance, including six as State Insurance Commissioner. Among his accomplishments, Mr. Montemayor launched the $130 million per year Texas FAIR plan, worked with the Texas Legislature to modernize insurance regulation and to address skyrocketing increases in medical malpractice premiums. He was instrumental in creating protocols for the early identification and intervention of companies at risk of insolvency and is credited with many successful company rehabilitation interventions. As Associate Commissioner for Finance and later as Commissioner, he was responsible for the licensing, solvency and market conduct of more than 2,000 insurers and health maintenance organizations in the $85 billion per year Texas market. He is a member of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Society of Financial Examiners.
Audrey Samers joined the New York State Insurance Department in 1998 and served as its Deputy Superintendent and General Counsel from 2001 to 2006. In that role, Samers was responsible for all regulatory, enforcement, litigation, corporate and contracting matters for the Department and was a frequent speaker on regulatory and compliance issues Prior to joining the New York State Insurance Department, Ms. Samers was a litigation associate at the law firm of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson where she focused on complex securities transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and other financial matters. Ms. Samers received her B.A., magna cum laude, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
Tommy G. Thompson served as Health and Human Services Secretary from 2001 to 2005. Thompson has dedicated his professional life to public service and served as Governor of Wisconsin from 1987 to 2001. He made state history when he was re-elected to office for a third term in 1994 and a fourth term in 1998.
Currently, Thompson is Chairman of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions and a partner at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. In that capacity, Thompson is developing innovative solutions to the health care challenges facing American families, businesses, communities, states and the nation as a whole. These efforts focus on improving the use of information technology in hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices; promoting healthier lifestyles; strengthening and modernizing Medicare and Medicaid; and expanding the use of medical diplomacy around the world.
