Tyler: A veteran of tough battles

State insurance chief zeroes in on health care CEO’s severance pay

Tyler is holding hearings to review the $18 million severance package paid by the nonprofit insurer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield to its former CEO, William L. Jews, and whether the payment complies with state insurance law.

No decision has been reached and Tyler said he could not discuss the case because it was still pending.

Tyler met O’Malley when Tyler was deputy attorney general for 14 years under O’Malley’s father-in- law, former Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr. (D). At the time, O’Malley (D) was a Baltimore city councilman.

O’Malley appointed Tyler, who was then in private practice, as the city solicitor in 2004.

In the 2006 gubernatorial race, O’Malley attacked Ehrlich on the electric rate issue. When O’Malley won as governor, he named Tyler his general counsel. In September 2007, O’Malley named Tyler as Maryland insurance commissioner to oversee the $26 billion industry.

‘‘I have great admiration and respect for the governor and he’s certainly given me great opportunities in public life,” Tyler said.

Tyler has used the post as a bully pulpit to take on insurance companies at times.

‘‘The way I see it is the central mission of the insurance commission is consumer protection,” Tyler said. ‘‘That has a lot of implications and manifestations. I’ve learned the insurance industry is well represented, very well financed, and no one is representing the consumers. So to the extent that consumer interests are represented, it falls to us to do that.”

That also means insurance companies have to make enough money to be solvent, he said, which means the state has to balance the needs of the insurance companies with the needs of consumers.

‘‘They’re in the business to make money,” he said. ‘‘We’re in the business of making sure people are fairly treated. It’s our job to reconcile those two.”

Insurance industry lobbyist John A. Andryszak of Popham and Andryszak in Annapolis said Tyler’s done a good job.

‘‘The governor had been looking for an insurance commissioner for a while who would strike a good balance between consumer protection and the ability to protect the industry,” Andryszak said. ‘‘Insurance companies want fair and reasonable regulation, and if that’s what we can get out of the insurance department, that’s super.”

Andryszak said he is not surprised O’Malley has turned to Tyler for the difficult tasks.

‘‘You go to the people you have confidence in and can trust,” he said. ‘‘He’s one of Mr. O’Malley’s most trusted advisers.”

Tyler, 60, said he has enjoyed the challenge of being insurance commissioner even though it is different from his previous tasks.

When he is not working, he likes to sail a 31-foot fiberglass boat that he keeps docked in Oxford.

‘‘But don’t tell anyone about Oxford,” he laughed. ‘‘It’s beautiful.”

Tyler said he has traveled the state more than he has at other points in his career to do public speaking about the insurance commission.

‘‘But one place we do a good job, but could do a better job is advocacy and consumer education,” he said.