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
Present value computation of the accrued or projected benefits of a retirement plan. This computation is known as the actuarial valuation because it is based on probability (retirement ...
Principle of surplus distribution as the result of excess funds above the amount required to establish legal reserves. These excess funds are generated from three sources: mortality ...
Reinsurance broker for a primary company (the re-insured). This broker is paid commissions by the reinsurance company, just as an agent is paid commissions by an insurance company for ...
Provision by an employer for the economic and social welfare of employees. Generally include: pension plans for retirement; group life insurance for death; group health insurance for ...
Stipulations of the rights and obligations of an insured and an insurer under a policy. ...
Individual or other entity who owns an insurance policy. Synonymous with policyowner. ...
Failure to exercise proper care. Many property insurance policies exclude losses that result from negligence. Neglect is also the basis for many liability suits. If an injury can be ...
Coverage underwritten on members of a natural group, such as employees of a particular business, union, association, or employer group. Each employee is entitled to benefits for hospital ...
Total earned premiums minus total expenses and losses paid of the insurance company. ...
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