(1) Rates may not be excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory.

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Terms Used In Utah Code 31A-19a-201

  • Expenses: means that portion of a rate attributable to:
         (4)(a) acquisition;
         (4)(b) field supervision;
         (4)(c) collection expenses;
         (4)(d) general expenses;
         (4)(e) taxes;
         (4)(f) licenses; and
         (4)(g) fees. See Utah Code 31A-19a-102
  • Insurance: includes :
              (96)(b)(i) a risk distributing arrangement providing for compensation or replacement for damages or loss through the provision of a service or a benefit in kind;
              (96)(b)(ii) a contract of guaranty or suretyship entered into by the guarantor or surety as a business and not as merely incidental to a business transaction; and
              (96)(b)(iii) a plan in which the risk does not rest upon the person who makes an arrangement, but with a class of persons who have agreed to share the risk. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Insured: means a person to whom or for whose benefit an insurer makes a promise in an insurance policy and includes:
              (103)(a)(i) a policyholder;
              (103)(a)(ii) a subscriber;
              (103)(a)(iii) a member; and
              (103)(a)(iv) a beneficiary. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Market: means the interaction between buyers and sellers consisting of a:
              (8)(a)(i) product component; and
              (8)(a)(ii) geographic component. See Utah Code 31A-19a-102
  • Mass marketed plan: means a method of selling insurance when:
         (9)(a) the insurance is offered to:
              (9)(a)(i) employees of a particular employer;
              (9)(a)(ii) members of a particular association or organization; or
              (9)(a)(iii) persons grouped in a manner other than described in Subsection (8)(a)(i) or (ii), except groupings formed principally for the purpose of obtaining insurance; and
         (9)(b) the employer, association, or other organization, if any, has agreed to, or otherwise affiliated itself with, the sale of insurance to its employees or members. See Utah Code 31A-19a-102
  • Policy: includes a service contract issued by:
              (150)(b)(i) a motor club under Chapter 11, Motor Clubs;
              (150)(b)(ii) a service contract provided under Chapter 6a, Service Contracts; and
              (150)(b)(iii) a corporation licensed under:
                   (150)(b)(iii)(A) Chapter 7, Nonprofit Health Service Insurance Corporations; or
                   (150)(b)(iii)(B) Chapter 8, Health Maintenance Organizations and Limited Health Plans. See Utah Code 31A-1-301
  • Rate: means that cost of insurance per exposure unit either expressed as:
              (12)(a)(i) a single number; or
              (12)(a)(ii) as a pure premium rate, adjusted before any application of individual risk variations, based on loss or expense considerations to account for the treatment of:
                   (12)(a)(ii)(A) expenses;
                   (12)(a)(ii)(B) profit; and
                   (12)(a)(ii)(C) individual insurer variation in loss experience. See Utah Code 31A-19a-102
  • Riskiness: means the variability of results around the average expected result. See Utah Code 31A-19a-102
(2)

     (2)(a) Rates are not excessive if a reasonable degree of price competition exists at the consumer level with respect to the class of business to which they apply. In determining whether a reasonable degree of price competition exists, the commissioner shall consider:

          (2)(a)(i) relevant tests of workable competition pertaining to:

               (2)(a)(i)(A) market structure;
               (2)(a)(i)(B) market performance; and
               (2)(a)(i)(C) market conduct; and
          (2)(a)(ii) the practical opportunities available to consumers in the market to:

               (2)(a)(ii)(A) acquire pricing and other consumer information; and
               (2)(a)(ii)(B) compare and obtain insurance from competing insurers.
     (2)(b) The tests described in Subsection (2)(a) include:

          (2)(b)(i) the size and number of insurers actively engaged in the market and class of business;
          (2)(b)(ii) the market shares of insurers actively engaged in the market and changes in market shares;
          (2)(b)(iii) the existence of rate differentials in that class of business;
          (2)(b)(iv) ease of entry and latent competition of insurers capable of easy entry;
          (2)(b)(v) availability of consumer information concerning the product and sales outlets or other sales mechanisms; and
          (2)(b)(vi) efforts of insurers to provide consumer information.
     (2)(c) If reasonable price competition does not exist, rates are excessive if:

          (2)(c)(i) rates are likely to produce a long-term profit that is unreasonably high in relation to the riskiness of the class of business; or
          (2)(c)(ii) expenses are unreasonably high in relation to the services rendered.
(3) Rates are inadequate if:

     (3)(a) they are clearly insufficient, when combined with the investment income attributable to them, to sustain the projected losses and expenses in the class of business to which they apply; and
     (3)(b) the use of such rates has or, if continued, will have:

          (3)(b)(i) the effect of substantially lessening competition; or
          (3)(b)(ii) the tendency to create a monopoly in any market.
(4)

     (4)(a) A rate is unfairly discriminatory if price differentials fail to equitably reflect the differences in expected losses and expenses after allowing for practical limitations.
     (4)(b) A rate is not unfairly discriminatory if it is averaged broadly among persons insured under a:

          (4)(b)(i) group, franchise, or blanket policy; or
          (4)(b)(ii) mass marketed plan.