NAIC Accused of Singing for Insurance Industry's Supper with Grant Initiative
Article Friday, June 08, 2012 11:23 AM ET NAIC accused of singing for insurance industry's supper with Grant initiative By Sean P. Carr The NAIC's hiring of Christian singer-songwriter Amy Grant as spokeswoman for an outreach program aimed at baby boomers drew a mixed reaction, and some puzzlement, from longtime observers of the regulatory association. Grant, 51, is mostly known as a Christian pop and gospel recording artist. Her most recent album, 2010's "Somewhere Down the Road," included the single "Better than a Hallelujah." Grant's best-known songs include "Baby, Baby," and the duet, "The Next Time I Fall." Grant will be the face of the NAIC's Insure U consumer education campaign, NAIC President and Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty announced. In a one-minute audio public service announcement, she says: "Making smart insurance decisions can be the difference between living in the moment and finding yourself in a state of worry and stress. To make sound choices, you need unbiased information. That's why I've partnered with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to encourage you to plan ahead." "It sounded like a sales pitch for insurance," J. Robert Hunter, director of insurance for the Consumer Federation of America, told SNL. Hunter said he likes Grant's music, and her values, but "the NAIC's job isn't to sell insurance." Asked about the terms of Grant's hire, an NAIC representative pointed to an item in the association's current budget that targeted $177,800 for "securing a celebrity spokesperson and targeted outreach efforts." The recruiting of a celebrity is particularly questionable in an environment where public spending is under intense scrutiny, Eli Lehrer, president of the R Street Institute, told SNL.
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