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
Exchange, in insurance, of an adequate consideration (premium paid by an insured) for the promise of an insurance company to pay benefits in the event the insured incurs a loss. ...
Right of an insured to make additional purchases of life insurance without having to take a physical examination or show other evidence of insurability. Additions can be bought at stated ...
Means, in pension plans, by which a projection is made of benefits credited to each employee's account at retirement age. Costs are then allocated on a level basis over a specified future ...
Physiological or psychological condition that prevents an insured from performing normal job functions. ...
Illnesses or disability for which the insured was treated or advised within a stipulated time period before making application for a life or health insurance policy. A preexisting condition ...
Coverage in the event that, while practicing the profession of druggist, an act or omission is committed resulting in bodily injury, personal injury, and/or property damage to a customer. ...
Social insurance that provides benefits to temporarily disabled workers in a few states. Five states require employers to pay cash benefits if workers are disabled. They are Rhode Island, ...
Table used, among other purposes, to determine monthly Social Security benefit for a retired or disabled worker and his or her dependents. The average monthly wage (AMW) of the worker is ...
Comparison of the cost of a solution and the economic benefits that would accrue if the solution is put into effect. This analysis is a prerequisite to the installation of an employee ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.