Legislative and Regulatory Issues

Federal Issues

Tax Treatment of Life Insurance and Annuity Products
The 75 million American families that rely on life, health, disability income and LTC insurance and qualified retirement plans for financial security have historically benefited from very favorable federal tax treatment. Increasingly, some members of Congress, the White House, and state legislatures have put forth proposals that would reduce the favorable tax treatment of life insurance industry products.

Health Care Reform
The health care reform challenge is to bring the estimated 45 million uninsured Americans into the system and to reduce the high cost of health care for everyone. Of course, these two challenges are related and one cannot be solved without tackling the other. NAIFA Health & Employee Benefits has developed principles that would support a practical solution to our health care problems. The plan, utilizing these basic principles, will help lower costs and ensure coverage is available to all citizens—without resorting to new government programs or jeopardizing the high quality of care we enjoy and expect as American consumers.

Financial Services Regulatory Reform
Implementation of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act enacted in 2010 continues to be a major focus for NAIFA. The Act called for various investor protection-related studies that will inform federal and state legislators and regulators about gaps in the regulation of financial services professionals that should be addressed. NAIFA will continue our efforts to educate officials and the public about the unique role our members serve in providing affordable investment options to Main Street investors. NAIFA is concerned that the economic impact of excessive and duplicative regulation will result in higher costs to consumers and an erosion of affordable advice and services for the middle class.

Fiduciary Standards: The Best Choice for Main Street Investors?

Securities Regulation
NAIFA’s chief securities concern is the potential impact on middle-market consumers of the possible implementation of an SEC rule imposing a fiduciary standard of care on the activities of registered representatives.

Retirement Savings Regulation
The Department of Labor (DOL) is expected to re-propose an expanded definition (under ERISA) of “fiduciary” that would apply to anyone who provides investment recommendations to employee benefit plan sponsors or participants, or even IRA holders.

Insurance Regulatory Reform
NAIFA supports insurance regulatory reform and modernization that helps American families and businesses achieve financial security. Such proposals should promote consumer protections, streamline agent licensing, improve product speed-to-market, and strengthen competitiveness of the insurance industry, both domestically and internationally.

NAIFA is firmly committed to its support of state-based insurance regulation while continually looking for ways to improve and advance such regulation to enhance consumer protections. NAIFA supports federal agent licensing reform legislation known as NARAB II. NAIFA is also open to the concept of optional insurance regulation at the federal level provided very specific conditions are met.

State Issues

State Action on STOLI
Acting in cooperation with our coalition partners, NAIFA, our state associations and their members continue to pursue aggressively legislation in numerous states to stop the spread of stranger-originated life insurance (STOLI) transactions. Despite intense opposition and large expenditures of both human and financial resources by STOLI proponents, over half of the states have acted to protect seniors and stop STOLI.

Regulating the Use of Designations
Legislators, regulators and the media have raised concerns in recent months that senior citizens are being misled and harmed by the use of certain designations and certifications by insurance agents and advisors that may imply the existence of a level of expertise in senior affairs and financial matters that, in fact, does not exist. These types of allegations are potentially damaging to NAIFA members because they affect the reputation of all agents and advisors and could compromise the public’s trust in insurance agents.