(a)  No person, including an insurer, agent, producer, or affiliate of an insurer, shall 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 in the form of e-mail or an electronic website, 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 covered by the Rhode Island life and health insurance guaranty association act; provided, that this section shall not apply to the association or any other entity which does not sell or solicit insurance. The use of the protection afforded by this chapter, other than as provided by this section, by any person in the sale, marketing, or advertising of insurance constitutes unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices under chapter 29 of this title and is subject to the sanctions imposed in that chapter.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 27-34.3-19

  • Association: means the Rhode Island life and health insurance guaranty association created under §?27-34. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-34.3-5
  • Commissioner: means the commissioner of insurance within the department of business regulation of this state. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-34.3-5
  • 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.
  • contract owner: means the person who is identified as the legal owner under the terms of the policy or contract or who is otherwise vested with legal title to the policy or contract through a valid assignment completed in accordance with the terms of the policy or contract and properly recorded as the owner on the books of the insurer. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-34.3-5
  • 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.
  • Member insurer: means any insurer licensed or that holds a certificate of authority to transact in this state any kind of insurance for which coverage is provided under §?27-34. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-34.3-5
  • Person: means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, governmental body or entity, or voluntary organization. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-34.3-5
  • State: means a state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or a United States possession, territory, or protectorate. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-34.3-5

(b)  The association shall prepare a summary document describing the general purposes and current limitations of this chapter in compliance with subsection (c) of this section. This document shall be submitted to the commissioner for approval. At the expiration of the sixty (60) days after the date on which the commissioner approves the document, an insurer may not deliver a policy or contract to a policy or contract owner unless the summary document is delivered to the policy or contract owner at the time of delivery of the policy or contract. The document shall also be available upon request by a policy owner. The distribution, delivery, or contents or interpretation of this document does not guarantee that either the policy or the contract or the owner of the policy or contract is covered in the event of the impairment or insolvency of a member insurer. The summary document shall be revised by the association as amendments to this chapter may require. Failure to receive this document does not give the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or insured any greater rights than those stated in this act.

(c)  The summary document prepared under subsection (b) of this section shall contain a clear and conspicuous disclaimer on its face. The commissioner shall establish the form and content of the disclaimer. The disclaimer shall:

(1)  State the name and address of the association and the insurance department;

(2)  Prominently warn the policy or contract owner that the association may not cover the policy or, if coverage is available, it will be subject to substantial limitations and exclusions and conditioned on continued residence in this state;

(3)  State the types of policies for which guaranty funds will provide coverage;

(4)  State that the insurer and its agents are prohibited by law from using the existence of the association for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance;

(5)  State that the policy or contract owner should not rely on coverage under the association when selecting an insurer;

(6)  Explain rights available and procedures for filing a complaint to allege a violation of any provisions of this chapter; and

(7)  Provide other information as directed by the commissioner including, but not limited to, sources for information about the financial condition of insurers provided that the information is not proprietary and is subject to disclosure under chapter 2 of Title 38.

(d)  A member insurer shall retain evidence of compliance with subsection (b) for so long as the policy or contract for which the notice is given remains in effect.

History of Section.
P.L. 1995, ch. 114, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 39, § 1; P.L. 2004, ch. 44, § 1.