North Dakota Code 26.1-38.1-16 – Prohibited advertisement of Insurance Guaranty Association Act in insurance sales – Notice to policy owners
1. No person, including a member insurer, insurance producer, or affiliate of a member insurer, may make, publish, disseminate, circulate, or place before the public, or cause directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated, or placed before the public, in any newspaper, magazine, or other publication, or in the form of a notice, circular, pamphlet, letter, or poster, or over any radio station or television station, or in any other way, any advertisement, announcement or statement, written or oral, which uses the existence of the insurance guaranty association of this state for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance or other coverage covered by chapter 26.1-38.1. However, this section does not apply to the North Dakota life and health insurance guaranty association or any other entity that does not sell or solicit insurance or coverage by a health maintenance organization.
Terms Used In North Dakota Code 26.1-38.1-16
- Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
- Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Organization: includes a foreign or domestic association, business trust, corporation, enterprise, estate, joint venture, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, limited partnership, partnership, trust, or any legal or commercial entity. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
- Person: means an individual, organization, government, political subdivision, or government agency or instrumentality. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
- written: include "typewriting" and "typewritten" and "printing" and "printed" except in the case of signatures and when the words are used by way of contrast to typewriting and printing. See North Dakota Code 1-01-37
2. Before January 1, 1990, the association shall prepare a summary document describing the general purposes and current limitations of the chapter and complying with subsection 3. This document should be submitted to the commissioner for approval. Sixty days after receiving approval, no member insurer may deliver a policy or contract to a policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee unless the summary document is delivered to the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee at the time of delivery of the policy or contract. The document should also be available upon request by a policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee. The distribution, delivery, or contents or interpretation of this document does not mean that either the policy or contract or the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee is covered in the event of the impairment or insolvency of a member insurer. The description document must be revised by the association as amendments to the chapter may require. Failure to receive this document does not give the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, enrollee, or insured any greater rights than those stated in this chapter.
3. The document prepared under subsection 2 must contain a clear and conspicuous disclaimer on its face. The commissioner shall establish the form and content of the disclaimer. The disclaimer must:
a. State the name and address of the life and health insurance guaranty association and insurance department; b. Prominently warn the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee that the North Dakota life and health insurance guaranty association may not cover the policy or contract, or, if coverage is available, it will be subject to substantial limitations and exclusions and be conditioned on continued residence in this state; c. State the types of policies or contracts for which guaranty funds will provide coverage; d. State that the member insurer and its insurance producers are prohibited by law from using the existence of the North Dakota life and health insurance guaranty association for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance or health maintenance organization coverage; e. Emphasize that the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee should not rely on coverage under the North Dakota life and health insurance guaranty association when selecting an insurer or health maintenance organization coverage; f. Explain rights available and procedures for filing a complaint to allege a violation of any provisions of this chapter; and
g. Provide other information as directed by the commissioner, including sources for information about the financial condition of insurers provided the information is not proprietary and is subject to disclosure under the state’s public records law.
4. A member insurer shall retain evidence of compliance with subsection 2 for so long as the policy or contract for which the notice is given remains in effect.