Chris Orestis discusses Life Insurance Consumer Disclosure legislation before the NCOIL Life Insurance and Financial Services Committee
(July 9, 2010)— Life Care Funding Group’s president, Chris Orestis testified in Boston on Friday, July 9th about the important role that Consumer Disclosure Legislation in states such as Maine, Washington, Oregon and Kentucky can have as a model for other states to consider in the coming legislative year. The legislation enacted in these four states has become an important precedent as it compels life insurance companies to disclose to policy owners at the time they would lapse or surrender a policy that they have other options to consider to receive higher market value for their policy.
Also appearing on the panel was Michael Friedman, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for Coventry First and Michael Lovendusky, Associate General Counsel for the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI). Mr. Friedman spoke in support of the legislative precedent and the need to support state efforts as they consider legislative action to ensure policy owners are informed of all of their financial options. Mr. Lovendusky speaking on behalf of the life insurance industry emphasized the industry’s staunch opposition to consumer disclosure, stating for the record that the idea is “abhorrent” to the industry.
Mr. Orestis discussed his company’s commitment since its inception in 2007 to working with seniors and their families to provide them with as much information and access to financial resources as possible. He pointed to the law passed in Maine requiring insurance companies to disclose to policy owners that they have other options instead of lapsing or surrendering a life insurance policy they no longer can afford regardless of its death benefit amount as an example of what should be done around the country.
“We are living in a time when we must be doing all we can to get as much information as possible into the hands of seniors”, testified Chris Orestis. “When a senior and their family is informed that an asset (life insurance policy) they are about to throw away has unrealized value for them, and it is a potential solution to a health care crisis they are confronting, the consumer wins when they are able to access the most appropriate form of long term care and the state wins when a citizen is able to extend their ability to cover the costs of long term care for as long as possible before accessing Medicaid”, concluded Orestis before the NCOIL committee.
To obtain the complete transcript of Chris Orestis’ testimony before the Life Insurance and Financial Services Committee of NCOIL, Click Below:
Chris Orestis at NCOIL Life Insurance and Financial Planning Committee
UPDATE 7/12/10–
New NCOIL Model Act on Consumer Disclosure to Be Drafted Posted July 12, 2010 5:00PM PST
The National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL) plans to begin drafting a new model act requiring insurers to tell consumers of their options, including life settlements, if they plan to get rid of their policies.
Georgia state Sen. Ralph Hudgens said he reported to NCOIL’s executive committee on Sunday that he was asking Kentucky Rep. Ron Crimm to craft a life insurance options model bill in the next few weeks by melding similar laws that already have passed in Maine, Washington and Kentucky.
Hudgens, who heads the Life Insurance & Financial Planning Committee of NCOIL, said this model legislation would be separate from the model act on life settlements that was adopted by NCOIL in 2007. Once the draft is complete, it will be sent to interested parties for comment, he said.
Hudgens said he expects the model act will be taken up at NCOIL’s November meeting in Austin and adopted.