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
Combination of several coverages to protect the insured. For example, the comprehensive health insurance policy combines the basic hospital plan with major medical insurance to cover ...
Liability insurance coverage, primarily for shipyards for ocean marine risks, provided in much the same manner as umbrella liability insurance for nonmarine risks. Coverages may be provided ...
Unexpected claims occurring above the expected claims for which a contingency reserve is maintained. ...
Reserve at the beginning of the policy year that is equal to the terminal reserve for the preceding year plus the net level premium for the current year. ...
Type of proportional reinsurance under which the ceding company (primary insurer) cedes to a re-insurer its net amount at risk for the amount above its retention limit on a life insurance ...
Coverage for bodily injury and property damage liability resulting from the ownership, use, and/or maintenance of an insured business's premises as well as operations by the business ...
Coverage usually written as an endorsement to property policies such as the Standard Fire Policy. A loss must be by the intentional acts of vandals. This peril is of particular importance ...
Document used to sign up employees for plans such as salary savings, life insurance, or other employee benefits. ...
Ordinary life insurance that generates a first year cash value from the payment of the first year premium. Using this cash value, loans could be made to finance premiums due in the future, ...
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