(a)  All persons offering travel insurance to residents of this state are subject to the unfair trade practices provided in chapter 29 of Title 27, except as otherwise provided in this section. In the event of a conflict between this chapter, and other provisions of this title regarding the sale and marketing of travel insurance and travel protection plans, the provisions of this chapter shall control.

Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-8

  • Aggregator site: means a website that provides access to information regarding insurance products from more than one insurer, including product and insurer information, for use in comparison shopping. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-3
  • Blanket travel insurance: means a policy of travel insurance issued to any eligible group providing coverage for specific classes of persons defined in the policy, with coverage provided to all members of the eligible group without a separate charge to individual members of the eligible group. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-3
  • Fulfillment materials: means documentation sent to the purchaser of a travel protection plan confirming the purchase and providing the travel protection plan's coverage and assistance details. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-3
  • 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.
  • Limited lines travel insurance producer: means :

    (i)  Licensed managing general agent or third-party administrator;

    (ii)  Licensed insurance producer, including a limited lines producer; or

    (iii)  Travel administrator. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-3

  • person: may be construed to extend to and include co-partnerships and bodies corporate and politic. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-6
  • Travel insurance: means insurance coverage for personal risks incident to planned travel, including:

    (i)  Interruption or cancellation of trip or event;

    (ii)  Loss of baggage or personal effects;

    (iii)  Damages to accommodations or rental vehicles;

    (iv)  Sickness, accident, disability, or death occurring during travel;

    (v)  Emergency evacuation;

    (vi)  Repatriation of remains; or

    (vii)  Any other contractual obligations to indemnify or pay a specified amount to the traveler upon determinable contingencies related to travel as approved by the commissioner. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-3

  • Travel protection plans: means plans that provide one or more of the following:

    (i)  Travel insurance;

    (ii)  Travel assistance services; and

    (iii)  Cancellation fee waivers. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-3

  • Travel retailer: means a business entity that makes, arranges, or offers planned travel services, and may offer and disseminate travel insurance as a service to its customers on behalf of, and under the direction of, a limited lines travel insurance producer. See Rhode Island General Laws 27-79.1-3

(b)  Offering or selling a travel insurance policy that could never result in the payment of any claims for any insured under the policy is an unfair trade practice under chapter 29 of Title 27.

(c)(1)  All documents provided to consumers prior to the purchase of travel insurance, including, but not limited to, sales materials, advertising materials, and marketing materials, shall be consistent with the travel insurance policy itself, including, but not limited to, forms, endorsements, policies, rate filings, and certificates of insurance.

(2)  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 shall be provided any time prior to the time of purchase, and in the coverage’s fulfillment materials.

(3)  The fulfillment materials and the information described in § 27-79.1-4(b)(1)(i)-(iv) shall 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:

(i)  Fifteen (15) days following the date of delivery of the travel protection plan’s fulfillment materials by postal mail; or

(ii)  Ten (10) days following the date of delivery of the travel protection plan’s fulfillment materials by means other than postal mail. For the purposes of this section, “delivery” means handing fulfillment materials to the policyholder or certificate holder, or sending fulfillment materials by postal or electronic means to the policyholder or certificate holder.

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

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

(d)  No person offering, soliciting, or negotiating travel insurance or travel protection plans on an individual or group basis may do so by using a negative option or opt out, which would require a consumer to take an affirmative action to deselect coverage such as unchecking a box on an electronic form when they purchase a trip.

(e)  It shall be an unfair trade practice to market blanket travel insurance coverage as free.

(f)  When a consumer’s destination jurisdiction requires insurance coverage, it shall not be an unfair trade practice to require that a consumer choose between the following options as a condition of purchasing a trip or travel package:

(1)  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

(2)  Agreeing to obtain and provide proof of coverage that meets the destination jurisdiction’s requirements prior to departure.

History of Section.
P.L. 2019, ch. 44, § 2; P.L. 2019, ch. 51, § 2.