Thursday’s guest on the “Mornings unPHILtered” show was Maria Sheffield, who is involved in a runoff with Ralph Hudgens for the Republican nomination for Insurance Commissioner.
    Asked by show host Phil Boyum why she thinks she is the best candidate for the job, Sheffield said she had worked in the insurance commissioner's office for six years.
    Further, Sheffield, said she was involved in insurance regulatory matters for many years. She said the federal government is encroaching more and more into the area where the state should have control.
    When insurance companies try to deny you getting certain medical procedures, she said you would want to be able to deal with your own insurance company rather than some “faceless federal bureaucrat.”
    Sheffield said the state insurance office works with firefighters everyday, including overseeing the Firefighters Pension Fund, in order to make sure it is run properly.
    Sheffield said she does not support health care legislation passed earlier this year. She said the federal government doesn't have the 200 years that the states do in dealing with insurance matters.
    Sheffield said it is essential that Georgians elect candidates who will fight any efforts to take over how one purchases their health insurance, which she believes should be an individual's personal choice.
    Asked by Boyum about medical care and health insurance cost, she said they are two different things. Paying $20-$30 for a co-pay and receiving a $1,000 worth of medical services is actually a very good deal.
    Sheffield said allowing small businesses to come together in order to get the best deal on insurance plans is a very good idea. In order to allow people to buy insurance plans out-of-state, she said it essential for the state to first ensure they have reciprocity.
    This would allow each state's insurance commissioner's office to oversee and regulate those plans in their own states. Many companies that are located out-of-state have few providers in other states who always seem to be a long way away from where you live.
    Although the price of the insurance is cheaper, the insurance policy ends up being virtually useless because of the distance and time involved in going to see those authorized providers.
    Concerning rural healthcare, having to travel long distances just to get basic services, she said she supports using private enterprise to establish local clinics throughout the rural parts of Georgia.
    She said she would focus on rooting out insurance fraud, which she said costs billions of dollars and causes everybody's healthcare costs to skyrocket.
    Sheffield said she will encourage more insurance companies to offer their services in the state. It is well-known that when there is competition, prices are almost assuredly going to drop for those services.
   
    “Mornings unPHILtered” airs live Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on statesboroherald.com and also simulcast on WWNS-AM 1240 on the radio. You also can listen anytime at BoroLive.com on statesboroherald.com