MPC Meets in October
The Members’ Participation Council (MPC) conducted an online meeting on October 26, 2020. The meeting featured a meeting of the MPC Executive Committee as well as the MPC General Session.
In addition to the task force reports below, the MPC General Session featured updates on the activities of the Pandemic Study Group (by Chair Margaret Sperry (Rhode Island)) and the MPC Multi-Group Collaboration Project (by Co-Chairs Margaret Sperry and Janis Potter (Illinois)). NOLHGA President Peter Gallanis provided the President’s Report, and MPC Chair Tom Sullivan briefed attendees on MPC Executive Committee activity. He also noted the passing of Bob Willis, former Executive Director of the District of Columbia Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association, and recognized all the great work that Bob did for the DC association, the MPC, and the constituencies served by the guaranty system.
In other MPC activity, NOLHGA’s 2020 Annual Meeting (held online on October 27–28) included closed-session presentations by the task forces for Penn Treaty Network America/American Network Insurance Companies (Pennsylvania), Global Bankers Insurance Group (North Carolina and Michigan), Time Insurance Company (Wisconsin), and Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania (SHIP).
Staff Contact - Sean McKenna Lincoln Memorial/Memorial Service Life Insurance Companies (Texas)Task Force Chair Tad Rhodes (Colorado and Oklahoma) reported that there are only three blocks of policies remaining in the estate. The task force hopes to transfer the MTW block (approximately 2,300 policies) in 2021, and the guaranty associations will retain and administer the final blocks of approximately 6,000 policies. The appeal in the PNC litigation is still pending and is expected to be decided in the first half of 2021.
Task Force Chair – Tad Rhodes; Staff Contact - Paul Peterson SeeChange Health Insurance Company (California)Task Force Chair Janis Potter (Illinois) and Legal Counsel Frank O’Loughlin (Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP) provided an overview of the SeeChange estate, which closed in 2018 (the guaranty associations received their final distribution in August 2020). SeeChange was the first health insurance insolvency that occurred under the Affordable Care Act, which meant that the task force addressed super-priority and risk corridor issues with the Department of Justice. Ms. Potter cited a number of lessons learned during the insolvency, including the importance of canceling all policies and maintaining the existing claims processing infrastructure.
Task Force Chair – Janis Potter; Staff Contact - Joanna AkiyamaGuaranty System Loses Two Longtime Members
We are saddened to inform our readers of the passing of two longtime members of the guaranty system. Bob Willis, former Executive Director of the District of Columbia Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association, passed away on October 21, 2020, after a long illness. In addition to his work with the DC association, Bob was a former District of Columbia Insurance Commissioner. His obituary can be found here.
Our system also lost Ray Terfera, who passed away on November 1, 2020, just days after the passing of his wife Doris. Ray served as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association for 25 years and as General Counsel and Vice President of Monarch Life Insurance Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, for 28 years. His obituary can be found here.
NOLHGA expresses our deepest condolences to both families.
Staff Contact - Sean McKennaNew Utah GA Address
The office of the Utah Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association has moved to a new location. The association’s new address is:
Utah Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Association
466 South 500 East, Suite 100
Salt Lake City, UT 84102
The association’s phone, email, and website information remain the same.
Staff Contact - Sean McKenna