Hawaii: NAMIC Submits Testimony, Recommendations on Consumer Complaint Process Bill

NAMIC submitted testimony to the Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection on SB 3229 for the Feb. 7 public hearing.

The legislation would create a new, duplicative, and unnecessary insurance consumer complaint and investigation process. In its testimony, NAMIC asserted that there is no evidence to support the conclusion that there are any specific problems associated with how consumer complaints are currently being submitted, reviewed, and handled. Consequently, the association questioned whether the new proposed consumer complaint investigation process is a cost-effective use of regulator time and resources.

Specifically, NAMIC stated that “[T]he public disclosure of personal information about individual consumers may cause the consumer to have reservations about sharing the information with the HID. The public access/disclosure provision might also result in administrative due process of law issues. The HID regulator will not be adjudicating consumer complaint and that the consumer complaint process does not supersede or replace any judicial processes, it is very important that the legal rights of the parties be preserved and safeguarded.”