Sec. 18. (a) A person, including a member insurer, insurance producer, employee, agent, or affiliate of a member insurer, shall not make, publish, disseminate, circulate, or place before the public or cause, directly or indirectly, to be made, published, disseminated, circulated, or placed before the public, in any newspaper, magazine, or other publication, or in the form of a notice, circular, pamphlet, letter, or poster, or over any radio station or television station, or in any other way, an advertisement, an announcement, or a statement, written or oral, that uses the existence of the association for the purpose of the sale of, solicitation of, or inducement to purchase any form of insurance covered by this chapter. This section does not apply to the association or any other entity that does not sell or solicit insurance.
(b) The association shall:
(1) prepare a summary document:
(A) describing the general purposes and current limitations of this chapter; and
(B) complying with subsection (c); and
(2) submit the summary document to the commissioner for approval.
Sixty (60) days after the date on which the commissioner approves the summary document, a member insurer may not deliver a policy or contract to a policy or contract owner unless the summary document is delivered to the policy or contract owner at the time of delivery of the policy or contract. The summary document must also be available upon request by a policy owner. The distribution, delivery, or contents or interpretation of the summary document does not guarantee that the policy or contract or the owner of the policy or contract is covered in the event of the impairment or insolvency of a member insurer. The summary document must be revised by the association as amendment to this chapter requires. Failure to receive the summary document does not give a policy owner, a contract owner, a certificate holder, or an insured greater rights than the rights specified in this chapter.
(c) The summary document prepared under subsection (b) must contain a clear and conspicuous disclaimer on the face of the summary document. The commissioner shall approve the form and content of the disclaimer. The disclaimer must, at a minimum, convey all the following:
(1) State the name and address of the association and the department of insurance.
(2) Prominently warn that:
(A) the association might not cover the policy or contract; and
(B) even if coverage were currently provided, coverage is:
(i) subject to substantial limitations and exclusions;
(ii) generally conditioned on continued residence in Indiana; and
(iii) subject to possible change as a result of future amendments to this chapter and court decisions.
(3) State the types of policies for which the association currently provides coverage.
(4) State that the member insurer and the member insurer's agents are prohibited by law from using the existence of the association for the purpose of selling, soliciting, or inducing purchase of any form of insurance.
(5) State that the policy owner or contract owner should not rely on coverage under this chapter when selecting an insurer.
(6) Explain:
(A) rights available following; and
(B) procedures for filing a complaint to allege;
a violation of any provision of this chapter.
(7) Provide other information as directed by the commissioner, including sources for information that:
(A) is not proprietary; and
(B) is subject to disclosure under IC 5-14-3;
concerning the financial condition of an insurer.
(d) A member insurer shall retain evidence of compliance with subsection (b) until the policy or contract for which the notice is given is no longer in effect.
As added by Acts 1978, P.L.129, SEC.3. Amended by P.L.178-2003, SEC.62; P.L.193-2006, SEC.31; P.L.208-2018, SEC.25.