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
Life insurance that stays in effect for only a specified, limited period. If an insured dies within that period, the beneficiary receives the death payments. If the insured survives, the ...
In general, a civil wrong, other than breach of contract, for which a court will provide a remedy in the form of a suit for damages. Torts include negligent acts or omissions on the part of ...
Organization of local life underwriter associations representing life and health insurance agents on practices of selling and servicing life and health insurance products. NALU sponsors ...
Reckless action without regard to life, limb, and/or property; for example, driving 100 miles per hour on a road or highway. ...
Federal legislation requiring employers with traditional health plans to also provide an HMO to its employees. The act also makes it mandatory for employers to contribute as much to the HMO ...
Coverage for all personal property, regardless of location of an insured and household residents, including children away at school. Written on an all risks basis, subject to excluded ...
Same as term Deposit Term Life Insurance: policy in which a premium (the deposit) is paid in the first policy year, in addition to the regular term insurance premiums required. The deposit ...
Relationship between occupation of an insured and degree of risk in such coverages as life, health, and workers compensation. Some occupations are more risky than others; for example, a ...
U.S. government group term life insurance for male and female members of the federal uniformed forces on active duty, underwritten by private insurance companies. Premiums reflect peacetime ...
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