1.    A person offering travel insurance to residents of this state is subject to chapter 26.1-04, except as otherwise provided in this section. In the event of a conflict between this chapter and other provisions of title 26.1 regarding the sale and marketing of travel insurance and travel protection plans, the provisions of this chapter control.

Terms Used In North Dakota Code 26.1-58-04

  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute means the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Person: means an individual, organization, government, political subdivision, or government agency or instrumentality. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See North Dakota Code 1-01-49

2.    Offering or selling a travel insurance policy that could never result in payment of any claims for any insured under the policy is an unfair trade practice under chapter 26.1-04.

3.     a.    All documents provided to consumers before the purchase of travel insurance, including sales materials, advertising materials, and marketing materials, must be consistent with the travel insurance policy itself, including forms, endorsements, policies, rate filings, and certificates of insurance.

b.    For travel insurance policies or certificates that contain pre-existing condition exclusions, information and an opportunity to learn more about the pre-existing condition exclusions must be provided any time before the time of purchase, and in the coverage’s fulfillment materials.

c.    The fulfillment materials and the information described in paragraph 1 of subdivision b of subsection 3 of section 26.1-26-54 must be provided to a policyholder or certificate holder as soon as practicable following the purchase of a travel protection plan. Unless the insured has either started a covered trip or filed a claim under the travel insurance coverage, a policyholder or certificate holder may cancel a policy or certificate for a full refund of the travel protection plan price from the date of purchase of a travel protection plan until at least fifteen days following the date of delivery of the travel protection plan’s fulfillment materials by postal mail, or ten days following the date of delivery of the travel protection plan’s fulfillment materials by means other than postal mail. For purposes of this section, “delivery” means handing fulfillment materials to the policyholder or certificate holder or sending fulfillment materials by postal mail or electronic means to the policyholder or certificate holder.

d.    The company shall disclose in the policy documentation and fulfillment materials whether the travel insurance is primary or secondary to other applicable coverage.

e.    Where travel insurance is marketed directly to a consumer through an insurer’s website or by others through an aggregator site, it is not an unfair trade practice or other violation of law if an accurate summary or short description of coverage is provided on the web page, so long as the consumer has access to the full provisions of the policy through electronic means.

4.    It is an unfair trade practice to market blanket travel insurance coverage as free.

5.    Where a consumer’s destination jurisdiction requires insurance coverage, it is not an unfair trade practice to require that a consumer choose between the following options as a condition of purchasing a trip or travel package:

a.    Purchasing the coverage required by the destination jurisdiction through the travel retailer or limited lines travel insurance producer supplying the trip or travel package; or

b.    Agreeing to obtain and provide proof of coverage that meets the destination jurisdiction’s requirements before departure.