Insurance Commissioner Poizner Publicly Denounces Lawsuit Over Rescission Regulations

On July 19, 2010, Insurance Commissioner Poizner promulgated regulations designed to limit the practice of rescissions in the health insurance industry.  See our blog article, New Regulations Take Aim at Policy Rescissions, on this.  Last Monday, an insurance industry trade group filed a lawsuit in San Francisco to block the regulations, which would have been effective August 18, 2010.  Poizner commented on the lawsuit stating:  “I find it unconscionable that insurers would sue to keep the Department from stopping the horrific practice of illegal rescissions[.] Sometimes I think representatives in this industry have their heads permanently stuck in the sand. Illegal rescissions are a repugnant industry practice. In this current environment, this lawsuit is simply short-sighted and morally wrong.”  The Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies says the new rules would impose new costs and inconveniences on consumers and are unnecessary.