Claims
    South Carolina Bulletin 2009-09 reminds insurers that claims information is the property of insured and must be provided to them within 10 days of a request. Producers who receive such loss reports from insurers must pass them along to insureds within five days of receiving them, and must treat that information as confidential.
 
 
Health Insurance
    Massachusetts Bulletin 2009-09 tells of amendments to laws mandating continuation coverage for eligible employees covered under small group health benefit plans. A new state law requires that commercial health insurers, HMOs and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts offer an extended election period to certain individuals. Carriers must send written notices by Aug. 31 telling customers about the extended election period. Eligible individuals have until September to elect the continuation coverage. Continuation coverage will begin on the first period after it is elected. 
 
    Nebraska has adopted NAC 210 Chapter 86, allowing for the continuation of health insurance coverage for small group insurance. The regulation allows insureds in employer groups in the small group market to obtain a subsidy for continuation of coverage if they are involuntarily terminated. The rule went into effect July 19.
 
    New Jersey is proposing to amend NJAC 11:22-1.6 dealing with the prompt payment of health insurance claims.
 
    West Virginia is proposing changes to rules in Section 114-28 dealing with the coordination of health insurance benefits.
 
 
Life Insurance & Annuities
    A Minnesota notice tells of the state’s proposed permanent rules governing insurance sales practices to military personnel. The primary purpose of the proposed rules, which are based on an NAIC model regulation, is to protect members of the armed forces from unscrupulous sales practices during the sale of insurance, financial, and investment products. Comments are due by Aug. 26.
 
    Washington has repealed and amended several regulations to bring WAC 284-23-600 to -730 in line with state law. It has also revised WAC 284-97-010 to -050 to set forth licensing requirements for life settlement providers and brokers, annual statement filing requirements for life settlement providers, a required disclosure form, contract filing requirements and the standards for evaluating reasonableness of compensation for the purchase of life insurance policies by life settlement providers.
 
    West Virginia is proposing changes to rules in Section 114-11D, Variable Life Insurance, and Section 114-11E, Annuity Disclosures. It has also issued an emergency regulation, Section 114-80, dealing with viatical settlements that went into effect July 15. 
 
 
Medicare Supplement Insurance
    Louisiana is restarting the rule-making process for a section of Regulation 33, dealing with Medicare supplement insurance. West Virginia is also proposing changes to rules in Section 114-24, Medicare Supplement Insurance. The intent is to clarify passages that refer to policies “issued for delivery on or after June 1, 2010.”
 
 
Producers
    Rhode Island will hold a hearing Aug. 18 to hear comments about proposed changes to two rules, Regulation 40, Continuing Education for Insurance Producers; and Regulation 103, Licensing and Renewal Fees.
 
 
Property/Casualty Insurance
    Kansas is proposing three new regulations for controlled insurance programs that provide coverage for general liability or workers’ compensation insurance. Details are in:
    • KAR 40-3-56, Controlled Insurance Programs;
    • KAR 40-3-57, Controlled Insurance Programs Including General Liability; and
    • KAR 40-3-58, Controlled Insurance Programs Including Workers’ Compensation Liabilities.
 
    Maryland Bulletin 09-20 designates a single person who will answer questions about surplus lines insurance and the technical details about when and under what circumstances insurance may be placed, or be placed originally, with a surplus lines or alien insurer. Send email inquiries to Dave Diehl. 
 
State Regulation of Insurance
    The Ohio Insurance Department is changing its Web site address to www.insurance.ohio.gov. The change is intended to bring the site address in line with other state agencies  The previous address, www.ohioinsurance.gov, will remain active for a several months but will eventually be shut down.
 
 
 
Copyright 2009 ProBusiness Publishing LLC

Publish date Jul 27 2009
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Reprinted with permission from Insurance Compliance Insight.
Copyright © 2009 ProBusiness Publishing LLC
Licensed from ProBusiness Publishing LLC. All rights reserved.