Insurers See ‘Full Plate’ of Insurance Issues for Delaware Next Year

A trade group for insurance companies says Delaware lawmakers will have a “full plate” of legislative insurance issues when they reconvene next year.

Among the big issues, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America (PCI): affiliate transfers, consumer protection regulation, workers’ compensation and uninsured motorists coverage.

“With budget issues dominating lawmakers’ attention this year, we focused on taxes and general business issues while promoting the importance of maintaining a healthy, competitive insurance marketplace as top priorities for our association,” said Richard Stokes, counsel for PCI. “However, we expect that many property casualty insurance bills that did not get a full hearing this year will be considered in 2010.”

Legislative items on the agenda for next year include:

• HB 140, which provides that an automobile insurance policyholder transferred between authorized insurers within the same insurance group is not a cancellation or nonrenewal if the premium is not increased and coverage is not reduced. According to the legislation, the policyholder must be notified of the transfer in writing. This legislation is supported by PCI and similar bills have passed in other states. The House unanimously passed HB 140 on in May, but it failed to pass the Senate before the General Assembly recessed.
• A bill (HB 247) that would expand the role of the Department of Justice to include supervision of the property/casualty insurance industry. This was first proposed last year, over the objections of PCI. That bill was not advanced during the session.
• PCI is also opposing a bill (HB 255) that would allow a party in a motor vehicle collision to access their own underinsured motorists coverage in cases where damages exceed the negligent drivers’ policy limits.

Source: PCI

Topics Carriers Legislation