Each time the organization representing state insurance commissioners puts out its critique of some aspect of the federal health reform law or its proposed implementation, a key question is raised: Is the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) representing the interests of those it is serving, primarily consumers, or is it serving its own interests?

The U.S. Treasury Department intends to create a Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance as part of the new Federal Insurance Office created under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

An insurance trade group says the U.S. House is “moving in the right direction” toward affirming state-based insurance regulation by voting to defund health insurance exchanges.

A plurality of insurance agents and financial service professionals are licensed in more than one state, according to the latest IFAwebnews.com poll.

Michael McRaith, insurance director at the Illinois Department of Insurance, was named the first leader of the Federal Insurance Office (FIO).

A bill that would create a “one-stop shop” for agents with licenses in multiple states should be filed in the U.S. House of Representatives this week, insurance officials say.

State insurance regulation is a good thing for many reasons, but for just as many, it isn’t. On the plus side, insurance really is a local transaction for some lines because state laws differ. Therefore, regulating the business for those lines belongs with the states.

The American Insurance Association (AIA) opposes a regulation requiring the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) to approve a set-aside arrangement as a condition for approval of a workers’ compensation settlement under Maryland law.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services plans to force health insurance companies to justify any rate increases of 10% or more, starting next year.

The U.S. and South Korea finalized a free trade agreement (FTA) that “contains the strongest and most promising commitments ever achieved for [the insurance] industry in an FTA,” two insurance trade associations say.