IA Bulletin 24-02
Bulletin 24-02 Updated Summary Document of ILHIGA
BULLETIN 24-02
To:
All Insurance Companies Selling Life Insurance, Health Insurance, or Annuities in Iowa
From: Doug Ommen, Iowa Insurance Commissioner
RE:
Updated Summary Document of Iowa Life and Health Guaranty Association
Date: June 25, 2024
Pursuant to Iowa Code section 508C.18A (2019 Acts, SF 556, Ch. 12, Sec. 35 and 36) the Iowa
Life and Health Guaranty Association is required to provide a summary document describing the
general purposes and current provisions of Iowa Code Chapter 508C (the Iowa Life and Health
Guaranty Association Act) containing certain disclosures specified within the section. Since
March 1, 2012, insurers in Iowa have been required to deliver the summary document along with
the insurance policy or contract to owners of the policy or contract.
The purpose of Bulletin 24-02 is to update the summary document to reflect a change to the
mailing address of the Iowa Life and Health Guaranty Association.
The mailing address of the Iowa Life and Health Guaranty Association prior to this Bulletin was:
Iowa Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
700 Walnut Street, Suite 1600
Des Moines, IA 50309
The mailing address of the Iowa Life and Health Guaranty Association now is:
Iowa Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
700 Walnut Street, Suite 1300
Des Moines, IA 50309
The change in the suite number in the mailing address of the Iowa Life and Health Guaranty
Association is the only change to Bulletin 21-05.
For questions regarding this matter, please contact Jordan Esbrook at
Jordan.esbrook@iid.iowa.gov.
NOTICE OF PROTECTION PROVIDED BY
IOWA LIFE AND HEALTH INSURANCE GUARANTY ASSOCIATION
This notice provides a brief summary of the Iowa Life and Health Insurance Guaranty
Association Act (the "Association") and the protection it provides for policyholders.
This safety net was created under Iowa law, located at Iowa Code Chapter 508C,
which determines who and what is covered and the amounts of coverage.
The Association was established to provide protection in the unlikely event that your
life, annuity, health insurance company or health maintenance organization becomes
financially unable to meet its obligations and is taken over by its Insurance
Department. If this should happen, the Association will typically arrange to continue
coverage and pay claims, in accordance with Iowa law, with funding from
assessments paid by other insurance companies.
The basic protections provided by the Association are:
Life Insurance:
•
$300,000 in death benefits
•
$100,000 in net cash surrender and
withdrawal values
Health Insurance:
•
$500,000 for health benefit plans (see definition below)
•
$300,000 in disability income protection insurance benefits
•
$300,000 in long-term care insurance benefits
•
$100,000 in other types of health insurance benefits, including net cash
surrender and withdrawal values
Annuities:
•
$250,000 in the present value of annuity benefits, including net cash
surrender and withdrawal values.
The maximum amount of protection for each individual, regardless of the number of
policies or contracts, is $350,000. Special rules may apply with regard to health
benefit plans.
"Health benefit plan" is defined in the applicable Iowa law and generally includes
hospital or medical expense policies, contracts or certificates, or HMO subscriber
contracts that provide comprehensive forms of coverage for hospitalization or medical
services, but excludes policies that provide coverages for limited benefits (such as
dental-only or vision-only insurance), Medicare Supplement insurance, disability
income insurance and long-term care insurance.
Note: Certain policies and contracts may not be covered or fully covered. If
coverage is available, it will be subject to substantial limitations and exclusions. For
example, coverage does not extend to any portion(s) of a policy or contract that the
insurer does not guarantee, such as certain investment additions to the account value
of a variable life insurance policy or a variable annuity contract. There are also
various residency requirements under Iowa law.
Benefits provided by a long-term care rider to a life insurance policy or annuity
contract shall be considered the same type of benefits as the base life insurance
policy or annuity contract to which the long-term rider relates. To learn more
about the Association and the protections it provides, as well as those relating to
group contracts or retirement plans, please visit the Association's website at
www.ialifega.org, or contact:
Iowa Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association
700 Walnut Street, Suite 1300
Des Moines, IA 50309
(515) 248-5712
Iowa Insurance Division
1963 Bell Avenue, Suite 100
Des Moines, IA 50315
(515) 654-6600
Information about the financial condition of insurers is available from a variety of sources,
including financial rating agencies such as AM Best Company, Fitch Ratings Inc., Moody's
Investors Service, and S&P Global Ratings.
The Association is subject to the supervision of the Commissioner of the Iowa Insurance
Division. Persons who desire to file a complaint to allege a violation of the laws governing
the Association may contact the Iowa Insurance Division. State law provides that any suit
against the Association shall be brought in the Iowa District Court in Polk County, Iowa.
Insurance companies and agents are not allowed by Iowa law to use the existence of the
Association or its coverage to encourage you to purchase any form of insurance or
HMO coverage. When selecting an insurance company, you should not rely on
Association coverage. If there is any inconsistency between this notice and Iowa law,
then Iowa law will control.