A few days before his official swearing in, Gov. DeWine made appointments to fill nearly his entire cabinet. All cabinet appointees are new to their roles, with the exception of Jillian Froment, who DeWine reappointed to continue to serve as the Director of the Ohio Department of Insurance.
Director Froment has spent the past eight years at the Ohio Department of Insurance in several high-level positions including Assistant Director, Chief Administrative Officer and Deputy Director. In May of 2017, Gov. Kasich appointed her Director.
In addition to serving as the head of ODI, Froment serves in prominent leadership roles for two national insurance organizations focused on consumer protection and the modernization of state insurance regulation. In November, it was announced that she was re-elected chair of the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Commission as well as secretary-treasurer of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners Midwest Zone.
Gov. DeWine also appointed Stephanie McCloud to head the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation. McCloud is a veteran executive with a diverse background that includes 20 years of experience in public administration and workers' compensation. She most recently served as senior vice president at Sedgwick Claims Management Services while managing her private Columbus law firm, McCloud Law LLC.
McCloud began her career as a staff attorney at BWC before serving as legal counsel to both former Governor George Voinovich and the Ohio Department of Transportation. She later joined the office of former Attorney General Jim Petro, first as senior deputy attorney general before advancing to chief counsel.
In addition to these developments, Larry Householder was elected earlier this month to serve as the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives. Given this change, it is not yet known who will be named to lead the House Insurance Committee. Senate legislative committee announcements are also forthcoming from Larry Obhof, who was re-elected by his peers to serve once again as the Senate President.
What’s ahead in 2019?
As is the norm in the start of a new General Assembly, the first order of business will be the next two-year budget.
As for insurance issues, another attempt will likely be made to pass legislation to help OIA members who write group health insurance by requiring health insurance companies to provide claims data to those with fifty or more enrolled employees in their group. Unfortunately, Senate Bill 227, which would have achieved this, failed to make it across the finish line in December before the end of the last legislative session – mostly due to running out of time.
OIA supports this initiative, along with other groups such as the Ohio Association of Health Underwriters and the National Federation of Independent Business, because allowing risk advisors and employers access to claims data will help Ohio employers to properly assess their health care options and make better coverage decisions.
In addition, guidance and rules are yet to be developed by the Ohio Department of Insurance for the new insurance-specific Ohio cyber law. This law has several provisions, including investigation and breach requirements that all agencies, regardless of size, will be required to comply with should they learn that a cybersecurity event has or may have occurred. In certain instances, notification of a breach may even be required to the Ohio Department of Insurance.
Large agencies will also be required to develop and maintain a comprehensive written cybersecurity plan and exercise due-diligence requirements over third-party service providers.
An effective date is not yet available for Senate Bill 273, but it will likely be around mid-March. Stay tuned — OIA will continue to keep you informed on these new cyber requirements as more information becomes available.
