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
Insurance companies that seek an economic advantage, thereby increasing their returns on equity by utilizing their specialized knowledge about a given line of insurance, territory, or risk ...
Voluntary state insurance programs that aid small businesses in acquiring insurance coverages when there are impediments to obtaining the coverage. ...
Association of life insurance agents who meet minimum life insurance sales standards predetermined each year by the organization. Membership is a primary goal of professional life insurance ...
Dividend in a participating policy paid after the death of an insured, representing dividends earned between the last dividend date and the insured's death. ...
Plans that are similar to stock appreciation rights (SARS) in that an employee is granted a contractual right by the employer to a stipulated number of units in the business, which is ...
Liability coverage mandated by the employee retirement income security act OF 1974 (erisa) under which employers are required to purchase insurance to cover their contingent liability for ...
Use of engineering-approved masonry or fire resistive materials for exterior walls, floors, and roofs to reduce the severity of a potential fire and lower premium rates. ...
Expenses taken out when benefits are paid. For example, a specific dollar amount is subtracted from a monthly income payment for company expenses. ...
Canadian retirement plan much like U.S. individual retirement account (IRA). Here, an employee can contribute on a tax deductible basis C $3500 each year as a member of an employer pension ...
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