State auditor candidates debate health care and coal

By RICHARD HANNERS / Whitefish Pilot

Spiraling health care costs and coal mining in southeastern Montana were two issues discussed by Montana State Auditor candidates at a meeting of the Northwestern Chapter of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors in Kalispell on Sept. 18.

Monica Lindeen, D-Huntley, started off by citing a good example for insurance — vandals burned down her hometown high school just that morning. She advocated for wellness and preventative measures to lower health care costs, but there are no simple answers, she said.

"Health care is a huge complex issue," Lindeen said. "There's only so much we can do at the state level. If we knew the answers, we'd solve the problem."

Duane Grimes, R-Clancy, said increasing competition between insurers by providing more information to insurance consumers would help rein in health care costs. When consumers can make better decisions, that will increase competitiveness. But the auditor must also watch for fraud.

"If elected, I will be a friend of friends to Montana consumers. But if they're not a friend, they will feel my wrath," he said.

Raised by working-class parents, Lindeen put herself through college, earning teaching degrees in English and history at Montana State University-Bozeman. In 1995, she and family members started the Montana Communications Network, the first Montana-based local Internet provider. When they sold it five years later, it was the largest Internet provider in Montana.

After two unsuccessful races, Lindeen won a seat in the legislature in 1999. She was the House minority whip in 2003 and served four years as vice chairman of the Montana Democratic Party. In 2006, she ran unsuccessfully against the Republican incumbent, Denny Rehberg, for the U.S. House.

Grimes has a bachelor's in theology from Bob Jones University, in Greenville, S.C., and a master's in public administration from the University of Montana-Missoula.

He was elected to the Montana House in 1992 and served three terms. He was elected to the Montana Senate in 1998, where he chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grimes ran for state auditor in 2004, losing to the then-incumbent John Morrison, who is not running for re-election.

While in the legislature, Grimes sponsored two insurance bills. A 2005 bill protected the state's insurance consumers from companies that used credit scores in the insurance process. A 2003 bill increased the time that an insurer is required to notify consumers about changes to their insurance policies.

The State Auditor is one of five statewide-elected officials on the State Land Board, which oversees development of natural resources on state lands. A hot campaign issue this year is coal mining in the Otter Creek tracts in southeast Montana.

"I will give rock solid support to developing Otter Creek," Grimes said. "Montana has more coal than Wyoming, yet they produce so much more."

The state government holds the keys to getting Otter Creek developed, he said.

"While the U.S. is looking for alternative energy sources, the nation needs our coal," he said.

Lindeen said the State Land Board has a fiduciary responsibility to produce revenue for public schools and universities — $70 million was raised from state lands last year.

"I believe for the most part that the land board works well," she said.

The coal at Otter Creek must be developed in a responsible way to protect water quality, Lindeen said.

"The State Land Board can't force investors to look at Otter Creek, nor does it control the market," she said.

Grimes and Lindeen shared common ground on "Insure Montana," a state-run program under the State Auditor that helps small businesses provide health insurance to their employees. Both noted that the program relies on cigarette taxes and needs another funding source to remain sustainable.

They also agreed that the name of the office should be changed, an idea that was on the ballot in 2006. Grimes suggested Insurance and Securities Exchange Commission. Lindeen said media must help educate voters on why the name should be changed.

For more about Lindeen, visit online at www.lindeen.net. For more about Grimes, visit online at www.duanegrimes.com.