State insurance commissioner receives national award

The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) today announced that, for his advocacy efforts to bring significant consumer protections to Pennsylvanians over the last year, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner Michael Humphreys received the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) Bonnie Burns Excellence in Consumer Advocacy Award. This yearly award recognizes a state regulator who effectively represented and advanced insurance initiatives on behalf of consumers throughout the year.

"Ensuring consumers stay protected and receive the benefits they deserve is what this job is all about," said Commissioner Humphreys. "I am grateful for this recognition, but there is always more work to be done. At PID, we will continue working to get stuff done on those issues that matter most to Pennsylvanians so that we can make insurance work better for everyone."

The award honors Commissioner Humphreys specifically for his consumer advocacy efforts in:

Directing health insurers to provide coverage for autism benefits in compliance with mental health parity laws, which ensures that parity for autism benefits is a reality for tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians with autism;

Removing barriers to promote equity, which allows insurers to ask applicants to voluntarily provide demographic data on insurance applications in an effort to promote equity initiatives; and

On behalf of the Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force, providing Governor Josh Shapiro with the Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force Final Report, which recommends solutions designed to improve the affordability and accessibility of flood insurance, bolster flood resiliency, increase flood risk mitigation, and protect Pennsylvanians from incurring flood damage that often results in thousands of dollars of uncovered losses.

On a national level, the award recognizes him for co-chairing the NAIC's Special Committee on Race and Insurance (SCORI) Life Insurance Workstream – a committee that looks at issues in the insurance industry related to race, diversity, and inclusion. Commissioner Humphreys' work led the committee to endorse financial literacy courses for high school students. This special committee now aims to gather data to better understand how life insurers and their third-party vendors utilize criminal history records in underwriting to help make insurance more accessible for consumers across the country.

Additionally this year, through Commissioner Humphreys leadership and commitment to Pennsylvania's consumers, PID:

Obtained reaccreditation through the NAIC for a full five years, fostering a financially sound insurance market in the Commonwealth to better protect and serve Pennsylvanians;

Launched a state-administered independent appeal process, allowing Pennsylvanians to submit for an Independent External Review if they believe their insurer has wrongly denied a claim for covering medical service, treatment, and items;

Provided guidance to health insurers to improve coverage for over-the-counter contraception, making contraception more accessible and affordable for Pennsylvania women; and

Released its inaugural and second Transparency in Coverage Report, outlining data on claims, claim denials, and appeal information for health insurers doing business in the Commonwealth and promoting transparency.

Pennsylvanians can visit PID's website to learn more about the Department and insurance in Pennsylvania, including consumer rights, regulations, and different types of coverage. Additionally, consumers with questions about their insurance or who need to file a complaint may contact PID's Bureau of Consumer Services online or by calling 1-877-881-6388.

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