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
Same as term Automobile Assigned Risk Insurance Plan: coverage in which individuals who cannot obtain conventional automobile liability insurance, usually because of adverse driving ...
Numerous automotive vehicles covered under a common insurance policy. ...
Pension plan under which both the contribution (employer and employee if a contributory plan) and the benefit structure are fixed. In order to properly maintain the actuarial equivalent, ...
Coverage for negligent acts or omissions of an operator of a motel or hotel resulting in bodily injury to guests and damage or destruction of a guest's property. ...
To sell a specific amount of insurance. ...
Coverage for a loss incurred by the insured resulting from an infringement of the insured's patent or coverage for a claim made against the insured resulting from infringement by the ...
Value of benefit or contribution allocated to an employee under a pension plan; method of determining benefits due a retired employee. Each private pension plan establishes rules for ...
Viewpoint that an insurer whose liability policy is in force at the time of an accident or injury should pay a claim. See also long-tail liability; manifestation/injury theory. ...
Standard property/casualty insurance premium set by a state rating bureau. States have responsibility for regulating insurers and making certain that rates are reasonable. To this end, ...
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