Wooley Officially Named La. Commissioner of Insurance

Robert Wooley has officially dropped the “acting” from his title and is now Louisiana’s Commissioner of Insurance. Louisiana Constitution Article IV, Section 16 provides that Wooley, as the Department’s first assistant, fill the vacancy created by Commissioner Jim Brown. Brown resigned on April 8, 2003.

“I have been in charge of the Department of Insurance for nearly two and a half years now so the new title is really just a formality,” said Wooley. “The terrific staff I have at the Department will continue to do the great job they’ve been doing, and I will continue the hard work I started the day I became acting Commissioner.”

One of Wooley’s chief concerns is the availability and affordability of
health insurance. He has partnered with the Department of Health and Hospitals on the LaChoice pilot program. “The Department of Insurance developed LaChoice to help reduce the cost of private health insurance for small employers. It’s our goal with LaChoice to help make employer-sponsored health insurance readily available and more affordable for Louisiana’s workers,” Wooley said.

The Commissioner is also focused on encouraging more homeowners insurers to do business in Louisiana, particularly along the coast. “As I’ve said so many times before, the number of companies writing below Interstate 10 has dwindled to just a handful since Hurricane Andrew more than 10 years ago. We are now starting to see more companies apply with the Department to write homeowners insurance in coastal Louisiana, and that’s very encouraging,” said Wooley. “Increased competition makes for a healthier marketplace, and that means good news for consumers.”

Wooley was the Chief Deputy Insurance Commissioner when he took over as acting Commissioner in October 2000.