Federal Insurance Laws in the 2021-2022 Congressional Session

This submit is a part of a collection sponsored by AgentSync.

Federal rules of insurance coverage are few and much between because of ages of historical past affirming that insurance coverage regulation belongs to the states. However every session, intrepid Congresspeople submit aspirational payments to just do that. Let’s check out a number of the proposed payments and kind via what issues and what’s simply large discuss however small sport.

In keeping with Congress.gov, in the 117th Congress, we’ve had more than 1,500 bills introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives that affect insurance regulation, both immediately via regulating issues like medical health insurance or the Nationwide Flood Insurance coverage Program (NFIP), or not directly akin to proposals to provide tax credit to householders or companies that buy sure insurance coverage protection.

However, if only 4 percent of bills will ever become law, then a complete lot of these payments are simply noise (or grandstanding, or signaling, or no matter you’d wish to name it as a result of who doesn’t like potshot at Congress).

By the numbers – insurance coverage laws

• 894 insurance-adjacent payments have been launched within the U.S. Home of Representatives this session
• 610 have been launched within the U.S. Senate
• 12 payments have been enacted both of their unique type or via incorporation into different bigger payments
• To provide you an concept simply what number of payments make all of it the best way to regulation standing: 1504 have been launched
• 137 are in committee consideration
• 83 made it to flooring consideration
• 78 have handed one chamber
• 17 have handed each chambers
• 8 are present process decision
• 13 made it to the president’s desk to get the Pinocchio glow up and grow to be Actual Legal guidelines

Whereas it’s evident that not each invoice that will get launched will make it into the authorized framework of the nation, the sheer quantity of insurance-adjacent authorized concerns ought to re-impress on any business brains how vital and pervasive insurance coverage is.

Which U.S. insurance coverage payments have grow to be regulation within the 2021-2022 Congressional session?

For the 177th Congress, many legal guidelines handed in 2021 have already gone into impact, or will grow to be efficient quickly, so we rounded up the insurance-involved items and what they did:

• Technical correction to the ALS Disability Insurance Access Act of 2019 did precisely what its identify says by offering technical corrections to the ALS Incapacity Insurance coverage Entry Act of 2019
• Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2021 prolonged the authority of dental insurance policy and extends non permanent cost expansions for medical journey wants for veterans
• Extending Government Funding and Delivering Emergency Assistance Act briefly prolonged funding for applications such because the Nationwide Flood Insurance coverage Program and Noninsured Crop Catastrophe Help Program, in addition to Medicare funds
• American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 prolonged unemployment insurance coverage funds, kids’s medical health insurance funds, and funds to take care of home-owner’s insurance coverage for property house owners and renters, amongst different issues (and sure, for the sake of brevity, “different issues” is overlaying … lots)
• PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act establishing a pilot program for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to offer veterans with PTSD entry to service canine for remedy, in addition to entry to veterinary insurance coverage advantages for his or her service canine
• Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021 supplied supplemental funding for care and analysis of veterans who’ve kids, each earlier than, throughout, and after being pregnant and supply, and essentially requires coordination with non-public insurers to collect information
• Prevent across-the-board direct spending cuts twiddled with funding intervals to … forestall across-the-board direct spending cuts, together with to medical health insurance and different insurance-related applications
• Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was big – in 1039 pages it laid out funding for numerous applications and mandated sure research and studies and hit on when the price of insurance coverage must be included in reporting, or when it must be excluded from added on prices for applications; it set requirements for vehicles and, by extension, their insurers; it included a proof of insurance coverage mandate for public transportation emergency grants; it funded the Nationwide Flood Insurance coverage Fund; and it gave states path on what to do with unused unemployment insurance coverage funds (once more, this one is lots)
• National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 at 910 pages, from insurance coverage exemptions for categorized tasks to overlaying well being look after enlistees’ dependents, you higher imagine nationwide protection funding intersects with insurance coverage
• Further Extending Government Funding Act handed in late 2021, this act prolonged federal funding of or authority of a number of departments and businesses together with some Medicare enchancment funding via Feb. 18, 2022, however with out Congress having to all agree on a whole price range
• Further Additional Extending Government Funding Act, which handed on Feb. 7, 2022, did one thing lots just like the Additional Extending Authorities Funding Act, however prolonged it moreover (Medicare enchancment funding was once more a part of the kick-the-can authorized process)
• Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act as soon as once more prolonged funding for applications like Medicare enhancements and rural medical entry and we will solely guess that the identify change was to keep away from calling it the “Additional Continued Extra Extending Authorities Funding Act”
• Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, which was signed into regulation March 15, 2022, and offers funding for insurance coverage applications just like the NFIP, in addition to assist to Ukraine

Along with these legal guidelines, there are two concurrent resolutions adopted by each the Home and Senate, which implies one thing each agree on and don’t want presidential approval, however they aren’t legal guidelines and don’t have any enforcement energy. Principally, the 2 concurrent resolutions are hypothetical agreements on price range ranges for the federal government via 2030 and 2031. However, once more, one thing one thing don’t have any enforcement energy.

Different matters to observe

Whereas we will’t predict with any certainty which legal guidelines will make it and that are hopelessly doomed, it’s price holding in thoughts the matters which can be top-of-mind for Congress and the nation, and the way the insurance coverage panorama could also be affected by modifications.

Flood and catastrophic insurance coverage and local weather change

There’s a federal interest in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), so it’s no shock that there’s a serious push to maintain this system solvent and supply readability to members. Greater than 110 payments particularly reference the NFIP, so there’s a nonzero likelihood we’ll see extra modifications to this system.

With the rise of concerns and activity around climate change, the pressure is doubly on for the NFIP and different disaster insurances which can be experiencing extra stress yearly from occasions like wildfires.

Medical insurance and the Inexpensive Care Act

The federal authorities waded into health insurance regulation with the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, also known as Obamacare. Tweaks to the ACA are generally proposed, akin to reforms that try to cease shock billing from out-of-network suppliers that insureds didn’t notice have been out of community (e.g., you went to the emergency room at an in-network hospital, and one of many attending docs was truly a contractor with an out-of-network agency so, shock! Your invoice is large!). Moreover, Medicare and its protection for medication and companies are always present process revisions as new merchandise attain the market and child boomers enroll.

Veterans insurance coverage

Federal curiosity in veteran entry to medical care can be driving coverage proposals, and, as we noticed within the laws that really handed thus far within the 2021-2022 session, improvements to assist veterans entry care – be it via Tricare or non-public insurers – have broader assist than different measures.

Present occasions and federal insurance coverage regulation

Cybercrime: As occasions in Ukraine and Russia warmth up, Russian hackers have taken a battering ram to company and authorities tech infrastructures. Even earlier than the battle, there was federal interest in pre-empting cyberattacks, however now cyberinsurance and cybersecurity are taking up increased legislative precedence.

Pandemic: There are various payments aiming at serving to companies and making certain public well being or stopping well being care discrimination primarily based on vaccine standing … no matter political outlook, it’s simple coronavirus will proceed to form each insurance coverage and federal rules.

Inequality: Whereas rising financial inequality was already a priority in America, the pandemic and different current occasions have accelerated each the inequality and the priority about it. Completely different factions of Congress have quite a few insurance-adjacent approaches to serving to these struggling to search out housing and childcare, however no phrase but on whether or not sufficient voting members can put aside their variations to truly get folks assist.

Nearly all of these payments won’t ever grow to be regulation, and the federal authorities represents solely a small fraction of the rules you could have to comply with. So, whilst you can’t ignore Congress (would that we may) solely, it’s extra vital to maintain your eye in your native jurisdictions and state authorities.

We will’t do something about Congress, however we will help carriers, businesses, and managing basic businesses and underwriters adjust to related state insurance coverage producer license and compliance rules. Check out how with an AgentSync demo today.

Subjects
Politics