The Nevada Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association is financed through assessments on member insurance companies. Insurers authorized to transact covered life, health, or annuity business in Nevada are members of the Association as a condition of their authority to operate in the state. When an assessment is necessary, the Association assesses member insurers according to the statutory assessment system.
The Association exists to provide limited protection when a member insurer becomes impaired or insolvent and cannot meet covered contractual obligations. It is not financed by direct assessments against insureds, policyowners, agents, or association members. It is also not simply funded through a general premium tax imposed on consumers.
Nevada law establishes assessment classes, including assessments for administrative and legal expenses and assessments needed to carry out the Association’s obligations regarding an impaired or insolvent insurer. Member insurers may consider the cost of assessments when establishing rates and dividends, but that does not change the source of the Association’s direct funding: the member insurers themselves.
The Guaranty Association is a safety mechanism with statutory limits. It is not a substitute for evaluating an insurer’s financial strength, and insurers and producers may not use its existence as a sales inducement.
Study Guide references/topics: insurer insolvency; guaranty associations; member insurer assessments; NRS Chapter 686C .
