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
Procedure in which a home office interviewer (who may or may not have underwriting experience) interviews applicants on the telephone. The questions asked the applicant are automated and ...
Type of charitable remainder trust (CRT) that pays interest income for life or for a specified term to a non charitable beneficiary. The remainder of the interest is received by a charity. ...
Bodily injury liability and property damage liability expressed as a single sum of coverage. ...
Right of a policyholder, in life insurance with cash values, to continue full coverage for a limited period, as shown in a table in the policy, with no further premiums payable. ...
Individual who works in the home office of an insurance company and performs the function of underwriting to determine if an applicant is insurable at standard rates, substandard rates, ...
Premium required by an insurance company for plans subject to premium adjustment. The initial provisional premium is paid to put a commercial property or liability insurance policy into ...
Coverage that is renewable at the option of the insured, who is not required to take a medical examination. Regardless of physical condition, the insured must be allowed to renew the policy ...
Probability of one's living to a specific age according to a particular mortality table. Life expectancy is the beginning point in calculating the pure cost of life insurance and annuities ...
Annuity contract. If the annuitant dies before receiving income at least equal to the premiums paid, a beneficiary receives the difference in installments. If the annuitant lives after the ...
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