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
Bureau insurer that files its statistical and underwriting experience with a rating bureau. ...
Agreement prepared by an insurance company and offered to prospective insureds on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. If the contracts are misinterpreted by insureds, courts have ruled in their ...
Independent agency supported by the insurance industry that tests a variety of materials, products, and devices, such as appliances and electrical equipment, to assure that they meet safety ...
Coverage for persons whose medical history includes serious illness such as heart disease or whose physical condition is such that they are rated below standard. A policy may specifically ...
Percentage of income required by a retiree to maintain a desired standard of living during the retirement years. ...
Commission paid to an agent after the first year commission has been paid to that agent. Renewal commissions generally form a substantial portion of an agent's income after four years in ...
Five primary sectors of insurance coverage. Their purposes are: LIFE INSURANCE provides income to a beneficiary in the event of the death of the insured. HEALTH INSURANCE provides two types ...
Health insurance plan where a group of physicians and dentists provide medical services to a group of individuals for a predetermined fee. It is a basic type of HEALTH MAINTENANCE ...
Circumstance in which there is a probability loss to personal property or real property resulting from property damage, destruction, or disappearance. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.