TITLE 14. INSURANCE

STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION

Final Regulation

REGISTRAR'S NOTICE: The State Corporation Commission is exempt from the Administrative Process Act in accordance with § 2.2-4002 A 2 of the Code of Virginia, which exempts courts, any agency of the Supreme Court, and any agency that by the Constitution is expressly granted any of the powers of a court of record.

Title of Regulation: 14VAC5-90. Rules Governing Advertisement of Accident and Sickness Insurance (amending 14VAC5-90-170).

Statutory Authority: §§ 12.1-13 and 38.2-223 of the Code of Virginia.

Effective Date: January 1, 2010.

Agency Contact: Jacqueline Cunningham, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Insurance, State Corporation Commission, Life and Health Division, 1300 East Main Street, P.O. Box 1157, Richmond, VA 23218, telephone (804) 371-9074, FAX (804) 371-9944, or email jackie.cunningham@scc.virginia.gov.

Summary:

The amendment to the regulation eliminates the requirement for insurers to file a Certificate of Advertising Compliance with its Annual Statement filing. Subsection B of 14VAC5-90-170 is deleted, as well as accompanying Form R04.

AT RICHMOND, NOVEMBER 23, 2009

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

At the relation of the

STATE CORPORATION COMMISSION

CASE NO. INS-2009-00221

Ex Parte: In the matter of Adopting
Amendments to the Rules Governing
Advertisement of Accident and
Sickness Insurance

ORDER ADOPTING AMENDMENTS TO RULES

By Order entered herein October 8, 2009, all interested persons were ordered to take notice that subsequent to November 16, 2009, the State Corporation Commission ("Commission") would consider the entry of an order adopting amendments proposed by the Bureau of Insurance ("Bureau") to the Commission's Rules Governing Advertisement of Accident and Sickness Insurance ("Rules"), set forth in Chapter 90 of Title 14 of the Virginia Administrative Code, unless on or before November 16, 2009, any person objecting to the adoption of the proposed amendments filed a request for hearing with the Clerk of the Commission ("Clerk").

The Order to Take Notice also required all interested persons to file their comments in support of or in opposition to the proposed amendments on or before November 16, 2009.

No comments and no request for hearing were filed with the Clerk.

The Bureau does not recommend further changes to the proposed amendments, and further recommends that the amended Rules be adopted as proposed.

The amendment of 14 VAC 5-90-170 is necessary because the certification statement contained in subsection B has not improved the quality of advertisement by the companies. Advertisement quality is better served through the minimum standards set forth in the regulations. Therefore, the Bureau recommends that subsection B be deleted, as well as the associated Form R04.

THE COMMISSION, having considered the Bureau's recommendation for amending the Rules as proposed, is of the opinion that the attached amendments to the Rules should be adopted. 

THEREFORE IT IS ORDERED THAT:

(1) The amendments to Chapter 90 of Title 14 of the Virginia Administrative Code entitled  "Rules Governing Advertisement of Accident and Sickness Insurance," amended at 14VAC 5-90-170 and Form R04, which are attached hereto and made a part hereof, should be, and they are hereby, ADOPTED to be effective January 1, 2010.

(2) AN ATTESTED COPY hereof shall be sent by the Clerk of the Commission to Jacqueline K. Cunningham, Deputy Commissioner, Bureau of Insurance, State Corporation Commission who forthwith shall give further notice of the adoption of the amendments to the Rules by mailing a copy of this Order, including a clean copy of the attached final amended Rules, to all insurers licensed by the Commission to write accident and sickness insurance in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and certain other interested parties designated by the Bureau of Insurance.

(3) The Commission's Division of Information Resources shall cause a copy of this Order, together with the amended Rules, to be forwarded to the Virginia Registrar of the Regulations for appropriate publication in the Virginia Register of Regulations and shall make this Order and the attached amended Rules available on the Commission's website, http://www.scc.virginia.gov/case.

(4) The Bureau shall file with the Clerk of the Commission an affidavit of compliance with the notice requirements of paragraph (2) above.

14VAC5-90-170. Enforcement procedures; advertising file; certificate of compliance; corrective advertising.

A. Each insurer shall maintain at its home or principal office a complete file containing every printed, published or prepared advertisement of its individual policies and typical printed, published or prepared advertisements of its blanket, franchise and group policies hereafter disseminated in this or any other state, whether or not licensed in another state, with a notation attached to each advertisement that indicates the manner and extent of distribution and the form number of any policy advertised. The file shall be subject to regular and periodical inspection by the commission. All the advertisements shall be maintained in a file for the longer of four years or until the filing of the next regular report on examination of the insurer.

B. Each insurer required to file an Annual Statement with the commission shall file with its Annual Statement, a Certificate of Advertising Compliance executed by an authorized officer of the insurer stating that, to the best of the officer's knowledge, information, and belief, the advertisements that were disseminated by the insurer during the preceding statement year complied or were made to comply in all respects with the provisions of this chapter and Title 38.2 of the Code of Virginia as implemented and interpreted by this chapter.

C. B. If the commission finds, after notice and opportunity to be heard, as provided in § 38.2-219 of the Code of Virginia, that any advertisement is in violation of the provisions of this chapter and that the violation was to substantially deceive or to mislead the public, the commission may, in addition to any other remedy or monetary penalty it may otherwise impose, order the insurer responsible for the dissemination of such advertisement to publish at the insurer's expense, a corrective advertisement in a form to be approved by the commission. If an insurer fails to publish a corrective advertisement as required by the commission, the commission may cause a corrective advertisement to be published, and the insurer shall, in addition to any other penalty that may have been imposed, reimburse the commission for the expenses incurred in connection with the publication of the advertisement.

FORMS (14VAC5-90) (Repealed.)

Certificate of Advertising Compliance, Form R04 (eff. 11/03).

VA.R. Doc. No. R10-2173; Filed December 1, 2009, 1:03 p.m.