Current through Acts 2023-2024, ch. 1069
Section 56-12-218 - Sales promotions listing association prohibited - Disclaimer notice(a) No person, including a member insurer or agent or affiliate of a member 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 over any radio or television broadcast, or in any other way, any advertisement, announcement, or statement, written or oral, that uses the existence of the Tennessee life and health insurance guaranty association for the purpose of sales, solicitation, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance or other coverage covered by this part. However, this section does not apply to the Tennessee life and health insurance guaranty association or any other entity that does not sell or solicit insurance or coverage by a health maintenance organization.(b) The association shall prepare a summary document that describes the general purposes and current limitations of this part and that complies with subsection (c). This document must be submitted to the commissioner for approval. At the expiration of the sixtieth day after the date on which the commissioner approves the document, a member insurer shall not 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 must 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 guarantee that either the policy or the 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 association shall revise the document as amendments to this part require. Failure to receive the summary document does not give the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, enrollee, or insured any greater rights than those stated in this part.(c) The document prepared under subsection (b) must contain a clear and conspicuous disclaimer on its face. The commissioner shall establish the form and content of the disclaimer. The disclaimer must:(1) State the name and address of the Tennessee life and health insurance guaranty association and department of commerce and insurance;(2) Prominently warn the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee that the Tennessee 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 conditioned on continued residence in this state;(3) State the types of policies or contracts for which guaranty funds will provide coverage;(4) State that the member insurer and its agents are prohibited by law from using the existence of the Tennessee 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;(5) State that the policy owner, contract owner, certificate holder, or enrollee should not rely on coverage under the Tennessee life and health insurance guaranty association when selecting an insurer or health maintenance organization;(6) Explain the rights available and procedures provided for filing a complaint to allege a violation of this part; 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 or is not protected from disclosure under Tennessee's public records law.(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.Amended by 2019 Tenn. Acts, ch. 5,s 7, eff. 7/1/2019.Acts 1988, ch. 1032, § 18.