A Lawrence Libertarian has announced his candidacy for Kansas commissioner of insurance.

Patrick Wilbur called for voters to open their minds for new solutions during what he described as “this turbulent time in the state’s history.”

“We have a crisis in the health care industry,” he said in a news release. “There has been precious little action in confronting this crisis. I believe that Kansas and the nation will realize that government is the problem, not the remedy, for this crisis.”

Wilbur has lived in Kansas most of his life. He said he wants to focus on reducing health care costs for Kansans through promotion of health care savings accounts and tax credits; attacking the Medicaid crisis confronting the state by reducing dependence on state-run programs; and ensuring that the commissioner’s office is responsive to the concerns of Kansans.

“The best way to reduce consumer costs is through a true free market strategy,” Wilbur said. “Increasing state and federal control of the medical and insurance industries will lead to an explosion in administrative costs.”

The state’s current insurance commissioner is Sandy Praeger, a Republican, of Lawrence.