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Montana politics, elections and legislative news

Nelly Nicol 2020 Election Questionnaire

Nelly Nicol
Courtesy

Montana Public Radio is gathering information on all statewide primary candidates to publish as a resource for our audience. We asked all the statewide candidates to respond to the following questions via email, limiting their answers to 300 words per question. These are their unedited responses.

State Auditor candidate Nelly Nicol:

What is your full name as it will appear on ballots?

Nelly Nicol

What is your age?

43

What is your education background?

Bachelor of Science in Public Relations minor in Mass Communications

What is your current occupation?

Communications Manager, Victory Insurance Company, Inc.

Relevant experience: Business owner, Health care professional, 20 years of Insurance Experience as well as focus on economic development.

Why are you running for this office?

I’m running for this office to create transparency, consistency and predictability in a fair market place. The government should be a strong foundation to aid private industries' growth.

The landboard seat is vital to Montana’s growth and development as well as funding for our K-12 schools. Given the times we are in, it is vital to support our agriculture and tourism industries. Having someone on the land board who will engage and foster positive change is essential.

What do you hope to accomplish in this office?

“If you pay for Insurance, You should care” I would like businesses and consumers to have more of a voice in the direction they want our great state to go. I continually hear from consumers that simplicity is needed in basically all areas of insurance. Making Insurance fun may be a stretch for most people but supporting me to make it user friendly is a common-sense goal we can all work towards.

Our smaller independent agents on the front lines need to be supported. They are the largest source of education for most policyholders and our rural communities deserve to have the option to walk into an office and sit down with their agent to ask any questions that they may have.

What makes you qualified to hold this position and why are you running?

I have well-rounded experience which encompasses policy and underwriting, safety, claims, communications, and knowledge of reinsurance. I have served as a treasurer and as a board member at multiple insurance companies. I had my own business where I was able to provide alternative healthcare choices for women with breast cancer while I successfully billed their insurance company.

Navigating a highly regulated industry and creating solutions for the people who need it most is my passion.

Due to these unprecedented times, it is going to be vital for Republicans to pick a candidate who will cross the finish line in November. You see candidates in leadership roles for years who have made no real effective impact as well as candidates who just want to be in politics.

I have a track record of successes for Montana.

One success for our state was when I received a call in 2006 to help with an economic development project in Eastern Montana. It had 3 key components

  1. Keep the Miles City Veterans’ Affairs Building viable so it wouldn’t be shut down

  2. Create good-paying jobs

  3. Create competition in Montana’s workers' compensation market.

I’m proud to say that those veterans still have a home and clinic, many great paying jobs were created and workers' compensation rates decreased by over 60% in the state of Montana from the day this project started.
Another passion of mine is healthcare. We have a child who was very ill, Failure to Thrive is what the doctors called it as she was slowly dying in front of us. While navigating years of doctoring with specialists in multiple states to save the life of our daughter

I have seen an unfathomable amount of bureaucracy. I worked directly with our Insurance Company, who also could see how much we were going to cost them if solutions were not found quickly. I helped with a start-up pilot program that efficiently gathered medical records, had a doctor review them and send them to the correct specialist in the top 2% of their specialty. I’m thrilled to say we still have our daughter, she is thriving and we are blessed. When you are already worrying about your loved one who is ill, the last thing you should be doing is scheduling out time to navigate a complex system.

As your State Auditor I will work with insurance companies, hospitals, pharmacy owners and health care providers to lower your rates.

What are the greatest issues facing Montana that have gone unsolved by elected officials and how would you address them?

Some of the greatest issues facing Montana are affordable healthcare, choice in insurance, AND unmanaged, overgrown, inefficient government entities.

-Healthcare professionals and insurance companies have started to work together for real solutions. All the red tape that was cut during the Covid-19 pandemic created a whole new feel of momentum and possibility for simplification, and positive changes going forward that will cut healthcare costs and increase options for care.

-Bringing in Insurance carriers to create a healthy competitive market will also increase services and lower premiums.

-To truly trim the fat in Helena I need to be in that office. I will stand up to the establishment and ask hundreds of good, honest questions. The answers had better be clear, make sense, and be very simple or they will be reviewed further and fixed.

The government is for the people and the people deserve to know and clearly understand what is going on in these offices.

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