§ 27-34.3-19. Prohibited advertisement of insurance guaranty association act in insurance sales
— Notice to policy owners.
(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.
(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.