Campaigning Never Ends

Family, friends and teachers over the years always told me that determination pays off.

Such was the case with this current issue of Insurance Journal Southeast. I’ve wanted to interview Tennessee Republican Senator and U.S. Majority Leader Bill Frist since almost a year ago on a warm spring day in Washington, D.C.

I was attending the National Legislative Conference and heard Frist speak along with Louisiana Democratic Sen. John Breaux. Frist addressed a number of items, but talked poetically about his days of practicing medicine and the impact the nation’s medical malpractice crisis was having on insurers.

In this issue, Frist goes one-on-one with the magazine and discusses not only Tennessee’s challenge, but the impact medical malpractice is having nationwide. Six states have passed medical liability reform and California is often looked at as a model of success in this arena despite all its other problems. Frist notes, however, that much more needs to be done.

Getting Frist to go on the record with us was no easy task.

I can’t tell you how many times the people answering the phone in Bill Frist’s Washington, D.C. office had to hear “This is Dave Thomas from Insurance Journal calling.” For their sakes, I hope they don’t wake up at 3 a.m. screaming that.

We appreciate the efforts of Tracy Garrett in the senator’s office for working with us and making the interview a reality. While back in college some 20 years ago, I worked for a Republican Congressman in Pennsylvania and I know that politicians’ daily schedules can be mind-boggling to the ordinary person. So, thanks to Tracy for her efforts.

Back in September, prior to Insurance Journal going national, we interviewed Florida Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, who shared his thoughts on a number of items of interest to insurers and agents, including medical malpractice and workers’ compensation.

While folks like Frist and Bush aren’t sitting in the offices of insurance commissioners in their respective states, they obviously must stay abreast of insurance-related issues due to their impact on the overall economy of not only Tennessee and Florida, but the nation as a whole.

Bush and Frist are just the tips of the iceberg here at the magazine.

My colleagues covering their respective regions (East, Midwest, Texas/South Central and West) are working on some big-name interviews themselves. In just the last month, my fellow editors have already featured exclusive interviews with Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry and California Democratic State Sen. Jackie Speier. I guarantee you there are more to come.

Stay tuned—our campaign to get you the top names across the country has just begun!

We hope you like your Insurance Journal Southeast issue, and we’ll talk to you soon.

Dave Thomas
Managing Editor
dthomas@insurancejournal.com