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PIANH 2013 legislative wrap-up
By Colleen K. Byrnes, CPIA, CISR
Agent appointments. S.B.0070 was aimed to streamline the insurance producer appointment process by allowing insurers to appoint a business entity (agency) as its agent instead of an individual agent. The agency would then be able to designate individual producers as agents for the insurer. An appointed agency would have to prepare a list of producers authorized to act on behalf of the insurer and submit the list to the New Hampshire Insurance Department by Feb. 1 each year. In early February, PIANH submitted testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee voicing some concerns: https://www.pia.org/GIA/nh/files/nhsb70supportingcomments.2.7.13.pdf. The bill was referred to committee and will be reconsidered in the next legislative session.
Notice of cancellations. A portion of H.B.227 contained amendments that would have allowed insurers to forego the sending of notices of cancellation to insureds when a renewal policy had been issued, but the renewal premium had not been paid. PIANH objected to these provisions and advocated for their removal arguing that they would hurt the consumer by leaving many without coverage unknowingly while also exposing agents to errors-and-omissions claims. These sections were removed from the amended version of the bill.
Commercial rebating. H.B.227 also contained an amendment that would have made it permissible to rebate part or all of a producer’s commission on the sale of commercial insurance, as long as the rebate was contained in an insurer’s rate filings.
H.B.227 was retained in committee and did not come to a vote this legislative session.
State health insurance exchange. PIANH worked throughout the year with regulators to keep their members up-to-date on the latest developments regarding the PPACA and the health exchange. The association created a consumer brochure on health exchanges so that the insured understands they do not need to look elsewhere for health insurance through the exchange. 7/13
