Golden State Employers Join Disability Battle

In addition to the Sacramento-based California chamber, the plaintiffs include the Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies, Sacramento; America’s Health Insurance Plans, Washington; the American Council of Life Insurers, Washington; and the California Chamber of Commerce, Sacramento.

The chamber joined as a plaintiff because many employers provide disability insurance as a benefit to their employees, the insurance groups say.

The insurance groups point to an actuarial study commissioned by AHIP that found that enforcing the proposed California disability policy requirements could increase group disability rates 46% and individual disability rates 33%.

“Left unchallenged, the commissioner’s actions would drive the cost of disability insurance beyond the reach of many employers who provide this benefit to their employees,” says Brad Wenger, president of the California life and health insurers’ association.

Gary Cohen, the chief counsel at the California insurance department, says Garamendi has the authority to withdraw approval of a policy, and that the proposed policy requirements are part of an effort to level the playing field between new players in the disability market and those with policies approved as long as 20 years ago, before many of the current restrictions were enacted.

Insurers can appeal the commissioner’s decision to withdraw approval from a policy, Cohen says.