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IRDAI stops publishing of ‘minimum rates’ in fire reinsurance treaties

Posted on: January 5th, 2023 by hema kashyap No Comments

The IRDAI has advised property insurers and reinsurers to stop including the burning costs rate as published by the Insurance Information Bureau (IIB) in their reinsurance treaties for fire and engineering risks. Starting April 1st, 2023, these costs are not to be embedded as “minimum rates” for risks in reinsurance treaties.

IIB rates are derived by estimating the expected losses for a policy based on previous year’s average, after taking into account claims inflation and change in exposure. As per IRDAI, such prescription by any reinsurer that effectively creates or reinstates a market (price) tariff is not according to the de-tariffed pricing regime presently and is distorting the level playing field intended to be provided by the Authority. The regulator suggests that treaty arrangements where IIB-published burning costs are taken as minimum risk rates does not reflect quality or loss history of individual risk and dissuade risk management along with the loss mitigation investments of insurance buyers.

The IRDAI has been propagating reforms in the non-life insurance sector for the ease of business for Insurers and to ensure choices for buyers/consumers of insurance and develop a free-market regime to foster sensible risk management and loss control.

Corporate agents can now be associated with up to 27 insurers

Posted on: December 17th, 2022 by hema kashyap No Comments

According to new guidelines issued by IRDAI, corporate agents can now be associated with up to 27 insurers – nine each in three branches – life, health, and general insurance. To increase insurance penetration, this step is taken which previously allowed corporate agents to market the products of one insurer from each of the three branches.

In general insurance, the number of insurance products is high and opening to nine insurers is particularly relevant in this kind of insurance. It increases choice. But the restriction on corporate agents in marketing retail and commercial lines of general insurance products for a sum assured not exceeding INR50m ($606,000) per risk continues.

For insurance marketing firms, besides increasing the number of tie-ups, the area of operation has been expanded to the “state” level from the “district” level, increasing the width as well as the depth of operation of Insurance marketing firms in the designated state.

4-7-8 Breathe

Posted on: June 9th, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

Breathe In Breathe Out is a phrase that we have heard many times by our friends and family in stressful times. The reason is simple, our breathe holds the powers to ease stress. When we deep breath, it sends a message to the brain to calm down and with that increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure decrease making body feel relaxed.

The 4-7-8 breathing technique is a breathing pattern developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. The technique is based on pranayama and it helps practitioners gain control over their breathing.

How to do it?
Sit in a comfortable position and make sure to practice a good posture. Prepare for the practice by resting the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, right behind your top front teeth. You’ll need to keep your tongue in place throughout the practice.

To use the 4-7-8 technique, focus on the following breathing pattern:
• empty the lungs of air
• breathe in quietly through the nose for 4 seconds
• hold the breath for a count of 7 seconds
• exhale forcefully through the mouth, pursing the lips and making a “whoosh” sound, for 8 seconds
• repeat the cycle up to 4 times

Dr. Weil recommends using the technique at least twice a day to start seeing the benefits sooner.
Benefits from consistent practice:
1. Stress Reduction
2. Better Sleep
3. Reduced anxiety
4. Decreased fatigue
5. Improved Digestion
6. Improved blood pressure
7. Improved symptoms related to breathing conditions such as asthma, COPD etc.

 


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Suez Canal blockage a huge loss event for global reinsurers

Posted on: March 31st, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

The blocking of the Suez Canal and the resulting disruption to global shipping is likely to cause a large loss event for the reinsurance industry. It is estimated that losses may easily run into hundreds of millions of euros.

The shipowner’s protection and indemnity club will probably face claims from the owners of the cargo on the Ever Given and of the other ships that are blocked in the Suez Canal for losses related to perishable goods and supply chain disruptions.
In addition, they may face claims from the Suez Canal Authority itself for loss of revenues. According to press reports, more than 300 ships are stuck at either end of the canal.

A large share of those losses will probably be reinsured by a global panel of reinsurers. It will add pressure to global reinsurers’ 1H2021 earnings—earnings that have already been knocked by catastrophe events such as winter storms in the US and flooding in Australia, as well as by additional coronavirus pandemic-related losses.

Last year, global reinsurers reported heavy declines in earnings due to paid claims and claims reserves related to the coronavirus pandemic. However, underlying performance improved due to significant price increases in non-life primary and reinsurance, and their capital positions remained very strong at end-2020. The sequence of catastrophe events in 2021 will put additional strain on commercial insurance and reinsurance markets, pushing prices even higher in an already hardening market.

FIFA world cup 2022 insured for US$900m

Posted on: March 26th, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

FIFA has procured insurance coverage of $900m for the Qatar 2022 World Cup tournament. It covers the association’s additional costs on incidents of cancellation, postponement and/or relocation of the event as well as risks such as natural disasters, war, acts of terrorism, accidents, turmoil, and communicable diseases.

FIFA said the amount was the “maximum insurance volume”, in a disclosure in the small print of the governing body’s newly-published 2020 financial statements, reported InsideTheGames.biz

The statements also said, “The risks covered include natural disasters, accidents, turmoil, war, acts of terrorism and communicable diseases.”

Furthermore, they said, “FIFA’s financial position depends on the successful staging of the FIFA World Cup because almost all contracts with its commercial affiliates are related to this event.

“In the event of cancellation, curtailment or abandonment of the FIFA World Cup, FIFA would run the risk of potentially being exposed to legal claims,” the accounts added.

FIFA is currently budgeting for total revenue of $4.67bn in 2022. More than half, that is, $2.64bn of this would come from broadcasting rights, with a further $1.35bn from marketing rights and $500m from hospitality rights and ticket sales.

The governing body plans to invest just under $1.7bn in the competition.

FIFA said it took out the insurance in 2019, which was in advance of the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues to affect top-level sport and has forced international spectators to be barred from the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Olympics later this year.

Spring Allergy

Posted on: March 24th, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

Spring is in the air and flowers are blossoming all across North India.

But are you having difficulties in breathing or have runny nose or watery eyes and other bothersome symptoms? Then these blooming flowers are to blame. The biggest spring allergy trigger is pollen. Trees, grasses, and weeds release these tiny grains into the air to fertilize other plants. When they get into the nose of someone who’s allergic, they send the body’s defenses out of order.
The immune system mistakenly sees the pollen as a danger and releases antibodies that attack the allergens. That leads to the release of chemicals called histamines into the blood. Histamines triggers runny nose, itchy eyes, and other symptoms.

Symptoms: You may have

• Runny nose
• Watery eyes
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Itchy eyes and nose

Tips to manage allergies naturally:

1. Limit your outdoor time and wear mask while going out
2. Clean your house and change bedsheets frequently
3. Take a bath after coming home
4. Take steam to clear the nasal passage
5. Eat probiotics
6. Studies show that saline nasal irrigation had beneficial effects for both children and adults with allergic rhinitis
7. Practitioners of natural medication suggest taking 2 ,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily to reduce histamine levels.
8. Studies show that peppermint oil treatment had enough anti- inflammatory effects that reduced the symptoms of bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis
9. Advocates of natural healing suggest using eucalyptus oil as an antimicrobial agent by adding it to each load of wash during allergy season
10. Please speak to your doctor for medication

Don’t use home remedies to treat severe allergic reactions which can be identified by symptoms such as:
• Trouble breathing
• Tightness in the lungs
• Chest pains
• Blood pressure changes
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Rash
• Vomiting

 


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IRDAI orders insurance companies to be more transparent while processing health claims.

Posted on: March 23rd, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

The regulator, IRDAI has asked all insurers to be more transparent in their health insurance claim settlement process and apprise the policyholders of reasons for denial of claims.

It is essential that all insurers establish procedures to let policyholders get clear and transparent communication at various stages of claim process, IRDAI said in a circular.

“All the insurers shall ensure putting in place systems to enable policyholders track the status of cashless requests/claims filed with the insurer/TPA through the website/portal/app or any other authorised electronic means on an ongoing basis.
“The status shall cover from the time of receipt of request to the time of disposal of the claim along with the decision thereon,” said the regulator.

The circular on ‘Health Insurance Claims Settlement’ is addressed to life, general and standalone health insurance companies including the third party administrators (TPAs).

In case the TPAs are settling the claims on behalf of the insurers, policyholders should be notified about all the communications as well as location to track the claims, IRDAI said.

“As specified in the IRDAI (Health Insurance) Regulations, 2016, where a claim is denied or repudiated, the communication about the denial or the repudiation shall be made only by the insurer by specifically stating the reasons for the denial or repudiation, while necessarily referring to the corresponding policy conditions,” IRDAI said.

The authority has said insurers should ensure that policyholders are provided granular details of the payments, amounts disallowed and the reasons for the amount disallowed, as per the regulatory norms.

Besides, they should also PROVIDE the grievance redressal procedures and the insurance ombudsman along with complete addresses of the respective offices.

“Insurers and TPAs, wherever applicable, are advised to ensure compliance of these instructions without fail,” IRDAI said

Cabinet approves increase in FDI limit in insurance

Posted on: March 12th, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

According to a report by Press Trust of India, the Indian Cabinet has approved the increase in the foreign direct investment (FDI) limit in insurance companies from 49% to 74%.

The decision to increase the FDI was taken during Budget 2021 on February 1. Finance Ministe,r Nirmala Sitharaman in her speech had said “I propose to amend the Insurance Act, 1938 to increase the permissible FDI limit from 49 per cent to 74 per cent in insurance companies and allow foreign ownership and control with safeguards,”.
The new FDI rules requires the majority of directors on the board and management to be resident Indians and at least 50% of directors should be independent.

The companies must also retain a specified percentage of profit as a general reserve.

With the Cabinet’s nod to amending the insurance law, the FDI changes will be introduced in Parliament for approval. Once the Parliament approves the changes, the process to introduce an applicable framework would start, an official said.

The increase in the FDI limit will provide insurance companies with additional funds to expand their business. This will also provide access to better technical know-how, innovation, and new products.

To encourage healthy lifestyles, health insurers are allowing up to 100% discount on renewals

Posted on: March 3rd, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

In order to motivate policyholders to adopt healthy lifestyles, private health insurers are granting discounts on renewed policies upto 80-100% along with additional rewards and benefits.

According to a report by the Press Trust of India, most health insurers provide a no-claim bonus for claim-free years usually in the range of 25-50%.

For example, Aditya Birla Health Insurance is offering up to 100% return of the premium if the customer has accrued a sufficient number of ‘Activ Dayz’ (one Activ Day means walking 10,000 steps a day, or any fitness activity specified by the insurer). The insurer will monitor the active lives of its customers through its Activ Health app.

Last month, Future Generali India Insurance launched a health super saver policy offering a flat 80% discount on the premium, provided there was no claim in the first and the second year of purchasing the policy.

Previously also IRDAI has said that insurers can provide wellness benefits to existing as well as new policyholders. It is mandatory to disclose all information about the product, any additional charges to obtain the benefits, a method to earn and redeem points as a part of the wellness plan, etc.

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Axis group receives nod to acquire stake in Max Life

Posted on: February 26th, 2021 by hema kashyap No Comments

The IRDAI has given its formal approval for the acquisition of a stake of up to 12% in Max Life Insurance by Axis Bank and its subsidiaries, Axis Capital and Axis Securities (dubbed Axis entities together), Max Financial Services announced in a stock exchange statement.

The IRDAI approval is an integral step in this long-awaited joint venture transaction which was first announced in April 2020, says Max Financial Services.
Max Life is the fourth largest private life insurer in India while Axis Bank is the third largest private bank. The two companies have shared a successful business relationship for over a decade, providing long-term saving and protection products to nearly 2m customers.

Axis Bank contributes more than 60% of Max Life’s business. The life insurer has other channel partners but Axis Bank has been the main distribution channel.

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