In January 2019, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer appointed Anita G. Fox to her Cabinet as the Director of the Department of Insurance and Financial Services.

DIFS is the State of Michigan department responsible for regulating Michigan's insurance and financial services industries, including insurance companies and agents, banks, credit unions, and consumer finance companies, including mortgage and auto lenders and deferred presentment companies. DIFS provides a focal point for consumer protection, enables efficient and effective regulation, and positions the insurance and financial services sectors of Michigan's economy for growth. The agency is staffed by more than 350 professionals dedicated to protecting Michigan consumers by ensuring that the industries it regulates are safe and sound, follow state and federal law, and are entitled to the public confidence.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Fox practiced law in Washington DC and Michigan, managing complex litigation in federal and state courts and providing advice and counsel to individuals and businesses on a broad range of topics. She has lectured in the U.S. and abroad, in addition to teaching Insurance Law at Michigan State University College of Law. Ms. Fox was inducted into the Federation of Defense and Corporate Counsel and recognized by Lawyers' Weekly as a Women in the Law honoree. She has also served in a staff advisory role on several U.S. Presidential campaigns and was appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm to serve as board member and legal counsel for several charitable foundations.

This conversation discusses the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) is offering a virtual town hall event to help answer questions about open enrollment on the Health Insurance Marketplace, which runs until Sunday, January 15, 2023.