NCOIL is the voice of state legislators in Washington in the face of mounting federal initiatives to preempt state insurance regulation.  You can view NCOIL's informational brochure here.

The purpose of NCOIL is to help legislators make informed decisions on insurance issues that affect their constituents and to declare opposition to federal encroachment of state authority to oversee the business of insurance, as authorized under the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945.

Toward that end, NCOIL works to:

·           educate state legislators on current and perennial insurance issues

·           help state legislators from different states interface effectively with each other

·           improve the quality of insurance regulation

·           assert the prerogative of legislators in making state policy when it comes to insurance

·           speak out on Congressional initiatives that attempt to encroach upon state primacy in overseeing insurance

Many legislators active in NCOIL chair or are members of the committees responsible for insurance in their respective state houses across the country. 

NCOIL ON THE HILL

NCOIL is an adamant, vocal opponent of any Congressional initiative that would deprive consumers of key state protections, preempt state laws that respond to unique insurance markets, threaten critical state premium tax revenue, and, in many cases, lead to cherry picking and fraud.

Congress has stepped up its interest in usurping state insurance authority and has considered repealing the McCarran-Ferguson Act’s limited antitrust exemption for insurers, which promotes competition and allows smaller and more regional carriers to compete effectively with larger companies.  Lawmakers have looked at everything from interstate health insurance sales and small business health plans (SBHPs) to an optional federal charter and an Office of Insurance Information (OII). 

NCOIL efforts on the Hill include:

·           testifying before Congress on issues ranging from federal proposals to take over insurance oversight to state modernization initiatives and credit scoring statutes

·           meeting with legislative leaders and staff to discuss federal and state insurance priorities

·           communicating NCOIL positions on key legislation and issues through letters and NCOIL resolutions

·           working with interested parties to educate Congress on the importance of state insurance authority and modernization efforts, including the Interstate Insurance Product Regulation Compact   

·           attending and monitoring Committee hearings and other activities

·           allying with other state officials to forestall new federal bureaucracies that threaten effective and consumer-oriented state regulation

OPEN MEETINGS, PUBLIC INPUT

NCOIL convenes three (3) meetings per year in which legislators:

·           learn about current insurance policy issues

·           hear from consumers, regulators, federal officials, the insurance industry, and others

·           debate proposed model laws that, when enacted, serve as templates for state bills

·           consider resolutions on a variety of issues

·           hold committee and subcommittee meetings, hearings, special sessions, and panel discussions

All NCOIL meetings are open meetings. 

NCOIL committees address items related to:

·           financial services and investment products

·           health, long-term care, and health retirement issues

·           international insurance issues

·           life insurance and financial planning

·           natural disaster insurance legislation

·           property-casualty insurance

·           state-federal relations

·           workers’ compensation insurance

NCOIL RESEARCH, PUBLICATIONS

Under the auspices of the Insurance Legislators Foundation (ILF), NCOIL’s educational and research arm, the organization has published a number of studies on timely issues of public policy concern.

In November 2007, the ILF released A Study on State Authority: Making a Case for Proper Insurance Oversight that focused on the authority granted to—and real-life roles of—players who impact state insurance regulation, including legislators, attorneys general, regulators, and the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).  Phase II of the study comprised critical recommendations that look to gain new ground in insurance regulation, while at the same time regain territory that has been lost.

Following the study’s release, NCOIL formed a select subcommittee of its officers and past presidents to consider implementation of appropriate Phase II strategy.

Previous ILF studies include, among others:

·           a 2002 legislators’ guide entitled Rising Waters, Mounting Challenges:  Flood Protection, Prevention, and Assistance, undertaken in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to educate legislatures on the basics of flood insurance and help promote public awareness

             The study led to an NCOIL model law that includes, among other provisions, agent training requirements for flood insurance.  The language has been widely cited by FEMA, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), and many others as a standard for agent training.

·           two reports, released in 2000 and 2003, regarding the state system of market conduct surveillance that revealed, in part, significant inconsistencies, redundancies, and waste

             The studies, prepared by PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLC and Georgia State University, led to, among other things, a 2004 NCOIL model law that would establish a uniform system for collecting marketplace data and would set forth a continuum of market conduct actions for consideration prior to undertaking targeted market conduct exams.

In addition, NCOIL publishes:

·           a monthly newsletter, the NCOILetter

·           The Insurance Legislative Fact Book and Almanac, available in both hard copy and Web-based editions, that contains postal, Web-site and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers of the state governors, insurance regulators, legislative leaders, legislative committee chairs, and top legislative staff members who handle insurance legislation

·           legislative alerts, for lawmakers of NCOIL-member states, that offer concise updates on key state and federal insurance efforts and their impact on state lawmakers

·           weekly articles of interest, also for lawmakers of NCOIL-member states, that draw legislators’ attention to a variety of breaking news articles on critical issues, including from sources legislators may not access

THE GLOBAL SCENE

NCOIL is state legislators’ eyes and ears on the global front regarding issues of concern between the United States and the European Union. 

These efforts have included meetings between NCOIL legislators and EU and UK parliamentarians and regulators both in this country and abroad. 

NCOIL also monitors and reports on meetings of the NAIC, International Association of Insurance Supervisors (IAIS), and other organizations.

NCOIL FUNDING