Montanans deserve a State Auditor who will serve as a strong consumer advocate.  I have spent my adult life working hard and advocating for others as an active member of the community, as a successful business woman, and as a legislator with a reputation as a common sense leader who knows how to get things done for Montana.

As your next State Auditor, I pledge to work hard to ensure Montanans are treated fairly by the insurance and securities industries, that we find solutions which ensure access to quality and affordable health care, and that our state lands are well managed for the future of our children.

I would be honored to have your support in this campaign. There are many ways you can help. Please consider adding your name as an endorser of my campaign for State Auditor, reserve a spot in your yard for a sign, offer to host a fundraiser.  Just drop me an email at monica@lindeen.net and let me know how you would like to help.

State wide campaigns do cost money as well and if you would like to contribute to our fundraising efforts just click on the "Contribute" link.

With your support, I am confident we will finish strong and win this one for the consumers of Montana!

The Montana state auditor's race offers voters a choice between Democrat Monica Lindeen, who is running as a strong consumer advocate, and Republican Duane Grimes, who believes consumers will be best served by encouraging more competition in the insurance market.

"I don't believe government is the answer," Grimes has said. "We need to use private markets and make sure they work effectively to drive down costs."

"I believe the race for state auditor is about who will serve as the most effective advocate for Montana consumers," Lindeen has said. "I would focus on wellness, preventative care and information technology."

Insurance regulation is one of two main roles for the auditor; the other is securities regulation.

Both Lindeen of Huntley and Grimes of Clancy have served as state legislators and operated small businesses. In the Legislature, both supported various popular bills for consumer protection. But Grimes opposed some, such as doctor-prescribed education for diabetes patients. (The law requires a maximum of $250 a year for self-care education that helps diabetics stay healthier and avoid expensive medical problems.)

Both candidates said they support Initiative 155, the ballot issue to expand Montana children's health coverage. However, Grimes said the proposal should have been taken to the Legislature instead of the electorate.

The position of state auditor wouldn’t seem to have much to do with politics. But this year, perhaps it does.

Republican Duane Grimes and Democrat Monica Lindeen are seeking the job, which has more to do with regulating insurance and securities than auditing. And while Lindeen is running as a consumer advocate, Grimes wants to help the free market work better so insurance customers have more choices.

Both candidates are former legislators who have sold their businesses in recent years. Lindeen holds a degree in education from Montana State University-Billings, and Grimes holds an aircraft mechanic degree from Colorado Aero Tech, a bachelor’s degree in theology from Bob Jones University, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Montana.

They seek to replace termed-out current State Auditor John Morrison, who has instituted significant reforms during his tenure.

Grimes said he wants to increase information and transparency about insurance companies so that customers can make their own choices. “I trust consumers, not bureaucrats, to make decisions in health care,” he said. He’s against regulations and coverage mandates that give Montana “a hostile insurance environment.”

Lindeen accuses Grimes of numerous “anti-consumer” votes in the Legislature, and says the key question in the race is “Who will be the strongest advocate for the consumers in Montana?”

I'm excited to let you know that our campaign has released the first TV ad of the election season in the Auditor race.

I have spent my entire adult life working hard and advocating for others as an active member of the community, as a successful business woman, and as a legislator with a reputation as a common sense leader who knows how to get things done for Montana--that's the message I was trying to get across in this ad.

By MIKE DENNISON - IR State Bureau - 10/02/08
Helena Independent Record

Montana voters probably don’t get too excited about who’s running for state auditor, or even know what the office does (hint: the auditor is also the insurance commissioner).

But this election year, they get a race offering a stark choice between two very different people and philosophies: Republican Duane Grimes, who says he wants to help the free market work more efficiently and provide more choices to insurance consumers, and Democrat Monica Lindeen, who’s pitching herself as a consumer advocate who believes current regulation is working well.

“I don’t believe government is the answer,” Grimes says in a typical comment. “We need to use private markets and make sure they work effectively to drive down costs.”

Lindeen says she doesn’t believe insurance is over-regulated in Montana, and that many of the controls and mandates in place are there for good reason.

“The question in everybody’s mind should be, ‘Who will be the strongest advocate for the consumer in Montana?’ ” she asks. “I like to tell people, that’s what I’ve been doing my entire life — advocating for other people.”

This election year, state auditor is an open seat since two-term incumbent Democrat John Morrison cannot run because of term limits.

Helena Independent Record

By MIKE DENNISON - IR State Bureau - 09/26/2008

Democratic state auditor candidate Monica Lindeen says a health-insurance plan proposed by her Republican competitor, Duane Grimes, won’t help consumers and shows his inclination for harmful deregulation.

Lindeen also says while Grimes now presents himself as a consumer advocate who wants to shed more light on insurance practices, his voting record as a state legislator tells a different story.

“This is a regulatory office, and putting someone in charge who doesn’t believe in regulation would be a disaster for Montanans,” she said.

Grimes and Lindeen, both former state legislators, are vying for state auditor, who acts as state insurance commissioner.

Incumbent Democrat John Morrison cannot run for re-election because of term limits.

Earlier this week, Grimes released a five-point plan to address “skyrocketing health-insurance costs” in Montana.

Among other things, Grimes said he wants to post health insurers’ financial and consumer-complaint information on the Internet, lead efforts to publicly post charges by hospitals and other health-care providers, and review state health-insurance mandates, to see if they’re too costly.

Reducing unnecessary mandates would allow insurers to offer consumers lower-cost alternatives, and not force consumers to buy coverage they don’t want or need, he said.

IR State Bureau - 09/17/08

Democrat Monica Lindeen on Tuesday fired the first public salvo in the race for state auditor and insurance commissioner, saying her Republican opponent, Duane Grimes, has a record of protecting insurance companies at the expense of consumers.

Lindeen, at a news conference in front of the state Capitol, took after Grimes for his 2001 vote against a bill that would have blocked insurers from canceling the auto-insurance policy of a motorist who had struck a deer or other game animal.

“We all know someone who has hit a deer through no fault of their own,” she said. “This just highlights the fact that my opponent is more concerned about protecting insurance companies’ interest than he is consumers’ interests.”

Grimes, however, fired right back, saying he was proud to vote against the bill, because it wasn’t needed and would have enabled more people to commit insurance fraud, by claiming damage from hitting a deer without any proof.

State law already says insurers usually can’t deny coverage because of a single event, he said.

Lindeen’s criticism shows that she believes that government involvement is the answer to every problem, Grimes said.

“The whole difference in this race is, do you believe that government should do everything for you? Or do you think individuals are capable of making decisions if you give them the right information?” he said.

Montana's state auditor serves as the insurance and securities commissioner and must be a strong and effective advocate for Montana's consumers, while also promoting the reliability and stability of the insurance and securities industries. Our auditor must fight for regular people who don't often have a voice in the face of powerful companies that can afford teams of lobbyists and lawyers.

As an educator, I worked to ensure my students had the skills they needed for future success. As a successful businesswoman, I managed a complex organization and put customers and employees first, making financial sacrifices to ensure employees had health insurance. And as a legislative leader, I worked to create more jobs and employee training opportunities for Montanans. I have fought for regular folks my entire life, and that's why I believe I'm best qualified to be Montana's next auditor.

As a legislative leader, I wrote and passed legislation that helped create thousands of good-paying jobs, led Republicans and Democrats to define a quality system of public education for our children, fought for full funding of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), pushed for the creation of tax credits for small businesses that offer health insurance to their employees and stood up for Montana's most vulnerable citizens by supporting passage of a prescription drug discount program for seniors and the disabled.

Advocating for Montana small businesses and their employees

(April 23, 2008 – Billings)  Monica Lindeen, Democratic candidate for Montana State Auditor, supports continuation of the successful Insure Montana program in order to ensure Montana’s small business owners and their employees are provided with health care.

As a former small business owner, Lindeen understands the challenges and importance of providing health insurance coverage for employees.  “Healthy employees are happier and more productive,” stated Lindeen.  “Providing health insurance as a benefit leads to less turnover and that’s good for the business and the employee.”  Lindeen realizes that not all small business owners and their employees can afford to pay the high cost of monthly insurance premiums.   

The Insure Montana program provides premium assistance and tax credits for small businesses with 2-9 employees through a purchasing pool.  There are approximately 1,450 small businesses and 9,250 individuals enrolled in the program.  Currently, there is a waiting list of approximately 750 Montana small businesses interested in participating in the health insurance program.  

Davidson Companies, a Montana based investment company, recently informed both current and former clients of an illegal network intrusion into a database containing clients' personal information.  The Davidson incident serves as a stark reminder to all consumers and Montana businesses of the challenges we face in this new age of information technology and the potential crime associated with this reality.

As a former co-owner and the general manager of one of Montana’s first and largest Internet service providers, I understand the opportunities that new technologies offer.  That knowledge of the information technology industry also allows me to understand the challenges customers and businesses face in protecting personal information.

As a candidate for Montana’s next State Auditor, I intend to work with these same customers and businesses on a daily basis to help educate consumers about how they can protect their personal information, while at the same time working with Montana businesses to ensure they are doing their best to protect that information.

Having your information lost or stolen can be a frightening experience, but fortunately there are steps you can take to detect misuse that may have already occurred and to help prevent potential future theft of your personal information.  The Montana Department of Justice website offers the following tips.