Maine's insurance superintendent, Eric Cioppa, will retire next month

Courtesy / Maine Bureau of Insurance Eric Cioppa will retire as Maine's insurance superintendent.

Write a Comment

By Jessica Hall

After 33 years at the Maine Bureau of Insurance, including 10 as superintendent and 13 as deputy superintendent, Eric Cioppa will retire on April 1.

A national search is underway to identify candidates to succeed him, according to a news release. The superintendent of insurance is appointed by the governor and subject to confirmation by the Maine Legislature.

Cioppa joined the bureau in 1988 as a statistician, then served as supervisor of the workers' compensation section, prior to becoming deputy superintendent in 1998. He became superintendent in 2011.

"Superintendent Cioppa has accomplished so much for Maine people during his tenure at the bureau," Gov. Janet Mills said.

"From his work to overhaul the workers' compensation system in the state in the early '90s, to overseeing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Maine since 2010, to working with my administration on health insurance and consumer financial protections during the pandemic … Cioppa's contributions to the health and welfare of Mainers have been invaluable."

Throughout his tenure at the bureau, and especially in recent years, Cioppa has also helped to set national priorities and develop model laws and regulation, and served as a spokesperson for the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. He was president of the NAIC in 2019, among other roles.

In his notice to staff regarding his decision to retire, Cioppa said he wanted to spend more time with family, including his wife Kathy and their grandchildren.