33-19-102. Purpose. The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards for the collection, use, and disclosure of information gathered in connection with insurance transactions by insurance institutions, insurance producers, or insurance-support organizations; to maintain a balance between the need for information by those conducting the business of insurance and the public’s need for fairness in insurance information practices, including the need to minimize intrusiveness; to establish a regulatory mechanism to enable natural persons to ascertain what information is being or has been collected about them in connection with insurance transactions and to have access to that information for the purpose of verifying or disputing its accuracy; to limit the disclosure of information collected in connection with insurance transactions; and to enable insurance applicants and policyholders to obtain the reasons for any adverse underwriting decision. The purpose of this chapter is also to provide privacy protection consistent with federal regulations governing the privacy of medical records when this chapter is consistent with those federal regulations. In those instances in which this chapter and the federal privacy regulations are inconsistent and this chapter provides privacy protection beyond that offered by the federal regulations, the purpose of this chapter is to provide that additional privacy protection.

Terms Used In Montana Code 33-19-102

  • Adverse underwriting decision: means any of the following actions with respect to insurance transactions involving insurance coverage that are individually underwritten:

    (i)a declination of insurance coverage;

    (ii)a termination of insurance coverage;

    (iii)failure of an insurance producer to apply for insurance coverage with a specific insurance institution that the insurance producer represents and that is requested by an applicant;

    (iv)in the case of a property or casualty insurance coverage:

    (A)placement by an insurance institution or insurance producer of a risk with a residual market mechanism, an unauthorized insurer, or an insurance institution that specializes in substandard risks; or

    (B)the charging of a higher rate on the basis of information that differs from that which the applicant or policyholder furnished;

    (v)in the case of a life, health, or disability insurance coverage, an offer to insure at higher than standard rates. See Montana Code 33-19-104