If projections hold true, the 2020 election will produce the highest voter turnout in decades, with 161 million Americans casting their ballots for president. We know the 2020 election decision affects us all in many ways. For NAIC leadership, that means looking at what impact the election will have on the insurance industry. No matter how those decisions are being made or counted, we continue our work and focus on our priorities—as the Fall National Meeting is just three weeks away!

NAIC’s CIPR to Hold Special Session on Business Interruption During Fall National Meeting

Planning for the virtual 2020 Fall National Meeting is underway.  Registered participants will experience an agenda of interactive sessions, including a special session on business interruption federal insurance mechanisms. The NAIC Center for Insurance Policy and Research (CIPR) will hold a three-hour special session titled “Pandemic Business Interruption Federal Insurance Mechanism – Learning from the Past, Thinking About the Future” will take place Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. CT.

There is still time to register for the virtual 2020 Fall National Meeting. Click here for the agenda.

The meeting, initially scheduled to be held in Indianapolis, will be held in a virtual format Dec. 3–4 and Dec. 7–9, 2020.

NAIC Releases Second COVID-19 Report

A second report, detailing the COVID-19 pandemic and the state insurance industry is now available. The report, A Report of the NAIC on the State Insurance Regulatory Response to COVID-19 – Update 2, outlines the actions taken by members and state insurance regulators from June 1–Sept. 30, 2020, to help curtail the impact of the pandemic. 

The organization’s initial report, A Report of the NAIC on the State of Insurance Regulatory Response to COVID-19, was released earlier this year and includes members’ actions from Jan. 1–May 31, 2020.

Additional reports will be issued as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve.

NAIC Welcomes New/Reelected State Insurance Regulators

For some of our members, the 2020 election was an extra special day as they were reelected to their posts. We want to congratulate NAIC members reelected in:

• Delaware 
• North Carolina
• North Dakota
• Washington

We also welcome Montana’s newly elected commissioner, Troy Downing.

The NAIC looks forward to building on these relationships.

NAIC Communications Team Wins MarCom and PRSA Awards

Congratulations are in order for our Communications team on winning two marketing and communications awards!

The NAIC’s “What the Flood!” campaign recently earned a Gold MarCom in the Strategic Communications, Communications/Public Relations category. The MarCom Awards honor excellence in marketing and communications. The 2019 Annual Report also received an honorable mention. Since its inception in 2004, MarCom has evolved into one of the largest, most-respected creative competitions in the world. Each year about 6,000 print and digital entries are submitted from dozens of countries.

Additionally, the Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society of America (GKC-PRSA) awarded the team with a “Best in Show” during its PRSA PRism Awards for the campaign.

The “What the Flood!” campaign included an interactive quiz, press releases, social media/Twitter Chat, Consumer Insights, toolkit, etc., and is a subset of our ongoing campaigns #YourRiskisReal and #ReduceYourRisk. These campaigns are our marquee consumer education programs and a standout among our members.

Consumer Outreach

The following is a list of NAIC consumer materials that have been distributed and released since our last eNewsletter:

Enrolling in Marketplace Coverage for 2021

Understand Your Prescription Benefits

A New Health Insurance Media Toolkit

As you know, open enrollment on the federal Health Insurance Marketplace is now open and runs, for most states, through Dec. 15.

We have created a new health insurance media toolkit that you can use. The “Health Care State Toolkit” contains consumer education, press releases and graphics that you can tailor for your consumers.

PIO Monthly Spotlight

Our new PIO Spotlight initiative allows us to highlight different state departments, communications teams and the work you do! The spotlight not only puts faces along with names of our communications professionals, but also provides us an opportunity to see what other departments are doing.

Please send a picture with you and your team, and answers to the questions below, to our NAIC Strategic Communications Specialist, Alana Laflore.

The Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance (TDCI) is also the State Fire Marshal’s Office.  

The department oversees:  

• Regulatory Boards  
• Securities 
• TennCare  
• Tennessee Law Enforcement Academy 

Biggest challenges

• Messaging and strategy for a diverse department   
• Ensuring that everything falls under the same mission, vision and values that make up the very fabric of TDCI 

 Outreach opportunities  

• On all social media platforms 
• Press releases 
• Blog posts  
• Interviews 
• Pen and pads 
• Op-eds from our division heads/commissioner on relevant topics that all align under the same strategy 

Upcoming priorities 

• Winter fire safety – We did public service announcements (PSAs) with country music artist Tracy Lawrence.    

The Regulators Podcast

This is a reminder to be sure and listen to our latest The Regulators podcast with NAIC President and SCDOI Director Ray Farmer.  In it, Dir. Farmer talks with NAIC CEO Mike Consedine to discuss how a global pandemic, social and racial injustice, and a very active natural catastrophe season affected his 2020 priorities.

In Mr. Consedine’s latest LinkedIn article, “Maintaining Vision During Change,” he discusses the recent  podcast episode and provides his thoughts on how Director Farmer, along with NAIC leadership, pivoted to address those issues and more. Take time to read it!

And for our next podcast, Mr. Consedine and Ethan Sonnichsen, NAIC Director of Government Relations, discuss the 2020 election and its impact on state insurance regulation. Be on the lookout for more information about that episode!

PIO Monthly Call

The PIO Monthly Calls, held on the third Thursday of the month, will be hosted through WebEx. To connect to a compatible video device, click Use Video system. Click Join Meeting. If you're on the go, you can join our meeting from your Apple or Android phone, tablet or Apple watch using the WebEx mobile app. You'll be able to use video, chat with other participants and share content.

This month's call will be held Nov. 19. Times are listed below. 

If you have any state news and/or announcements you'd like to discuss, please email them to srbryant@naic.org. 

ALL TIMES LOCAL unless indicated as daylight saving time or standard time:

3:00 p.m. ET, 2:00 p.m. CT, 1:00 p.m. MT and (Phoenix), Noon PT, 11:00 a.m. AKDT, 10:00 a.m. HST

Agenda

PIO Call/Nov. 19, 2020

Welcome – Stefanie Bryant 

Communications Update – Laura Kane

State News and Announcements

Words of the Week

Listed below are the words for the coming weeks. Please feel free to use and distribute these on your social media channels using the hashtag #NAICWotW. 

 

Nov. 11 – Benefit Triggers

Nov. 18 – Renewable Term Insurance

Nov. 25 – Outline of Coverage

Dec. 2 – Accident Insurance