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Several healthcare consumer advocacy groups are signatories to a letter (the “Letter”) that was sent to members of Congress in response to a letter that was sent to Congress by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (the “NAIC”), as discussed in our previous post here.  The NAIC letter urged Congress to exempt fees and commissions paid to health insurance producers from the medical loss ratio (“MLR”) calculation under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) in order to preserve consumer access to agents and brokers. …
Read More Consumer Advocate Groups Issue Letter to Members of Congress Imploring Them Not to Amend the Medical Loss Ratio in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Last month, the Delaware Department of Insurance (the “Department”) issued Domestic/Foreign Insurers Bulletin No. 46 to provide guidance regarding the implementation of the Civil Union and Equality Act of 2011 (the “Act”), which becomes effective January 1, 2012.  The Act provides that two persons of the same sex who establish a civil union shall be subject to the same requirements and entitled to the same rights, protections and benefits as married couples under Delaware law. …
Read More Delaware Department of Insurance Issues Bulletin Relating to the Implementation of the Civil Union and Equality Act of 2011

CMS ISSUES MEDICAL LOSS RATIO REGULATIONS

Background. Among the most hotly debated provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) have been the medical loss ratio (MLR) requirements, which were intended to lower healthcare costs by requiring health insurance companies to spend less on marketing and overhead expenses and more on care. …
Read More Healthcare Update: CMS Issues Medical Loss Ratio Regulations; HHS Rejects Two State MLR Waiver Requests

Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick signed H. 3795, which bans the use of credit-based insurance scores in the underwriting and rating of private passenger automobile insurance, into law on November 22, 2011 as Chapter 195 of the Acts of 2011.  H. 3795 amends the Massachusetts General Laws and codifies a similar credit score prohibition in current Division of Insurance Regulations. …
Read More Massachusetts Passes Statutory Ban on the Use of Credit-Based Insurance Scores for Private Passenger Automobile Insurance

In May 2011, we reported on the UK Government’s adoption of the Law Commission’s draft Bill on Consumer Insurance (Pre-Contract Disclosure and Misrepresentations). (See our previous post here). The Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Bill (the Bill) is currently progressing through Parliament. …
Read More UK: Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Bill Continues Its Progress Through Parliament

Thomas B. Leonardi, Commissioner of the Connecticut Insurance Department, was elected as the secretary of the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s (“NAIC”) Northeast Zone during the NAIC’s Fall 2011 meeting.  As part of this position, Commissioner Leonardi will also serve on the NAIC’s Executive Committee. …
Read More Connecticut Insurance Commissioner Elected Secretary of the NAIC’s Northeast Zone and Will Serve on the NAIC’s Executive Committee

An inquirer recently asked the New York Department of Financial Services Office of General Counsel (the “OGC”) whether (1) lunch bought for an insurance producer by an insurer qualifies as compensation to be disclosed under Regulation 194 (effective January 1, 2011); and (2) if it qualifies, how should an insurer maintain a record of the cost of that lunch when multiple producers are present at the lunch, but only one is the binding producer?  See N.Y. Dept. of Fin. Serv. Opinion No. 11-08-01 (August 5, 2011). …
Read More Keep Those Power Lunch Receipts; the New York Department of Financial Services May Consider Such Entertainment Expenses as Producer Compensation to be Disclosed