Federal News

State Regulators Worried About Future of Health Insurance Brokers

State insurance regulators have established a task force to monitor the negative effects the new federal health reform law might have on health insurance agents and brokers. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), which rejected pleas to protect brokers’ …

State Legislators Adopt Surplus Lines Tax Compact, Compliance Resolution

The National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) has adopted a revised version of the Surplus Lines Multi-State Insurance Compact (SLIMPACT) as well as a resolution urging the states to amend their insurance laws to have them conform to the recently …

Safety Officials Warn 13 Mines in 7 States

Federal regulators late Friday warned 13 mining operations in seven states, including two owned by troubled Massey Energy Co., to show improvement on safety or face stricter enforcement. The Mine Safety and Health Administration says a 14th mining operation, Massey’s …

Health Insurance Brokers May Ask Congress to Protect Commissions

As insurance brokers feared, the Obama Administration has not exempted broker commissions from the formula for the medical loss ratio that health insurers must adhere to beginning in 2011. Brokers say they may ask Congress to intervene if the medical …

Health Insurers Win Some Breaks with Medical Loss Ratio Rule

New U.S. health insurance spending rules aimed at ensuring more customer dollars go toward medical care were finalized on Monday, ending a source of uncertainty for investors in the sector. Although the limits are mandated in the new healthcare law, …

Senators Urge Bipartisan State Healthcare Waiver

A Democrat and a Republican teamed up in the U.S. Senate Thursday to offer legislation that would give states the flexibility to implement their own healthcare approaches when the federal overhaul goes into full effect in 2014. The proposal by …

SEC Wants Fuller Disclosure of Lawsuit Costs

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is asking for better disclosure from companies on potential costs of lawsuits and other contingencies, an official of the agency said on Tuesday. “We see companies having pages and pages of information but saying …

U.S. Auto Fatalities Down But Safety Efforts Lag

The United States is lagging behind nearly every other high-income country in reducing annual traffic fatalities, said a report released this week by a U.S. government research panel. There’s some good news: U.S. traffic fatalities fell 9.7 percent in 2009 …

Legislators, Surplus Lines Groups Weigh a Lighter SLIMPACT Tax Deal

As the deadline to implement the surplus lines insurance modernization bill — or the Nonadmitted & Reinsurance Reform Act (NRRA) in the Dodd-Frank Act — quickly approaches, some of the nation’s legislators are searching for a way to find consensus …

P/C Insurer Rules on Medicare, Medicaid Liability Claims Delayed

Property/casualty insurers will have some extra time to comply with new Medicare and Medicaid liability claims reporting requirements. The Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it will delay the implementation of …