State Supervision And Regulation
Primary responsibility for overseeing the insurance industry that has rested with individual states since 1945, after Congress passed the MCCARRAN-FERGUSON ACT (PUBLIC LAW 15). In addition to supervision and regulation, states receive taxes and fees paid by the industry that amount to several billion dollars a year. State insurance laws are administered by state insurance departments that are responsible for making certain that (1) rates are adequate, not unfairly discriminatory, and not unreasonably high, and (2) insurance companies in the state are financially sound and able to pay future claims. To this end, states set requirements for company reserves, require annual financial statements, and examine company books. Each state has an insurance commissioner or superintendent who is either elected or appointed by the governor, with responsibility for investigating company practices, approving rates and policy forms, and ordering liquidation of insolvent insurers. The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INSURANCE COMMISSIONERS (NAIC) has drafted model legislation and worked for policy uniformity, but regulations vary widely from state to state.
Whether insurers should be regulated by the states or the federal government remains at issue, but so far insurers and the NAIC lobbying have been effective in resisting federal regulation. Nevertheless, the federal government has a profound effect on the insurance industry through its taxes and a variety of regulations.
Popular Insurance Terms
Transaction of reinsurance under which there is a limit on the total liability of the re-insurer and future investment income is a recognized component of the underwriting process. This ...
Term meaning that an exporter of goods that are damaged or destroyed during international shipment relinquishes responsibility for the damage or destruction once the goods leave the point ...
Abbreviation for premium payment. It usually applies to a limited number of annual premium payment policies such as a ten-day policy. ...
Method of accident prevention whose objective is to detect system-component deficiencies that have the potential for causing accidents. ...
Same as term CEDE: to transfer a risk from an insurance company to a reinsurance company. ...
Health characteristic considered by an insurer underwriting an applicant for life or health insurance. Many insurance companies charge reduced premiums for nonsmokers. ...
Coverage on an all risks basis, subject to exclusions of war, wear and tear, loss resulting from delay, loss of market, infidelity of the insured's employee, loss due to rain, sleet, snow, ...
Annuity that provides income payments for a number of years provided the annuitant is alive to receive them. All income payments cease upon the death of the annuitant. ...
Policyholder's equity share of the life insurance company's assets. The share is based on the policyholder's contribution to assets (the company's gross premiums minus cost of insurance, ...
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