[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6256174,"mediaKeyId","3158095-951f42f8a4c5456ee97add36e9453719","parentId",3158095,"title","Panel advances bill narrowing some bad‑faith claims against insurers; debate centers on insured protection","audioSeconds",1667,"startMs",1798000,"endMs",3465000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3158095-951f42f8a4c5456ee97add36e9453719&start=1798&end=3465","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3158095-951f42f8a4c5456ee97add36e9453719/thumbnail_1798000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6256174/Louisiana/Panel-advances-bill-narrowing-some-badfaith-claims-against-insurers-debate-centers-on-insured-protection","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6256174-9a4bf838bc6f8763176c967bc1ce6a8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445324&Signature=E9Sl1XDyhE4R8MQRohRGzlmi3E5xbs420fvT7sRWqhSS8urNs5vuffQ54ORrhmoWkdzFqJyMAxiP9S4VXI5eXAigycgtXMM6QDlb8ficpFU-WqFzC4T6bCtAufj1eaopO4YmVXkA6CIswAgDJnS82vfQt675Ij1s9AKUyQZF3S370-Biv52ttYR8JZQpk3s3tTlv2gW6MgYD2cSRcei72xIpZGllK~4dhfI508v-7u8-vKxAuUVYOPGWwKnzDGLNYRb9uEV5387pC0yDRZKKcYAivfcVqOypEXqmfaIBvVLao75bFD1wxZNCm0Xrbru1A2iRBpVCtynodBzZxC3b4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana Legislature","date","2025-04-30T00:00:00Z","article","Senate Bill 111, authored by Senator Seba, was reported with amendments by the Senate Insurance Committee after extended debate over whether the bill would protect insureds from excess judgments or unfairly limit claimants' rights.

Seba told the committee the bill is intended to \"give insurers a fighting chance in court\" and to confine a judicially created cause of action to clearer statutory terms. He framed the bill as targeting the Louisiana Supreme Court’s Kelly decision, which the sponsor said read a cause of action into a statute; Seba said he was not trying to eliminate bad‑faith remedies but to limit them where an insurer has a good‑faith dispute about liability or medical causation.

\"What I'm trying to do is to take that back out,\" Seba said of the Kelly decision. He explained the bill would preserve bad‑faith claims when insurers act without a legitimate liability or causation defense, but would bar a bad‑faith action where the insurer had a bona fide dispute, adequate opportunity for discovery, or the claimant had not presented a settlement offer within policy limits.

Supporters from the insurance industry said the bill would curb a practice they described as encouraging excessive settlements and increasing costs. Kellen Matthews, testifying for State Farm, told the committee insurers face additional costs — including paying dual defense counsel — when excess‑judgment claims are pursued and then assigned to plaintiffs.

The Louisiana Association for Justice opposed the measure. Brian Katz argued the current statute requires satisfactory proof of loss before bad‑faith liability and that the bill’s proposed changes, particularly provisions tied to a demand within policy limits and to discovery timing, would create unfair procedural burdens for injured claimants and could push injured parties into litigation earlier.

Committee members debated several practical scenarios, including cases with delayed treatment, multiple accidents, and uncertainty about policy limits. Senator Foyle secured a commitment from the bill sponsor to work on one provision (paragraph e in committee discussion) to clarify its effect on policyholders; Senator Seba said he would consider narrowing or deleting that clause before floor debate.

A roll‑call vote recorded in committee approved reporting the bill with amendments: 7 senators voted yes and 2 voted no.

Votes at a glance: Motion to report Senate Bill 111 with amendments carried on a roll‑call vote (Yeas: Talbot, Bass, Edmonds, Foyle, Myers, Seba, Wheat; Nays: Barrow, Plessis).","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Insurance Apr 30, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 111, which would limit certain bad‑faith claims against insurers when a good‑faith dispute over liability or medical causation exists, was reported with amendments after a contested committee hearing where insurers and trial attorneys sparred over effects on policyholders and rates.","taxTitle","Insurance, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative, Louisiana","taxId",20975,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6256179,"Committee backs bill to broaden insurance department authority to act against unlicensed fraud",0,2664000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3158095-951f42f8a4c5456ee97add36e9453719&start=2664&end=2664","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3158095-951f42f8a4c5456ee97add36e9453719/thumbnail_2664000.jpg","/articles/6256179/Louisiana/Committee-backs-bill-to-broaden-insurance-department-authority-to-act-against-unlicensed-fraud","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6256179-73a08ea77d8ca87f63114dc279768298/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445324&Signature=Cn9lXkLcQjhim2muGLOSpuemdmGOwmt2UC-rwdqZCSJpf8QzHbygRYt~1AgCWH84gmfHcagX9jWPZFzQSeLpSsy4rbKSEOgpFtNMVl~TL1GbjgbN7JlVeo6HzVu8VbG1xwRAjFB8pe7hgIa-f~60siJfk2EMADdJmbKLkCuwj9QoKJTtvF1I6Zez5wXh-Jo5hsbb8c6L~~lWPv4bkWTuNlvG1aQFqaK3CjqVyQcvEbAsVTrXAPNUe1QzQuQOKfoOt11Qc5MablG~np2e6hi3f1UMBaWerdlOgzlIhzteGXtbEFaD2H8eTsDkd9WNYcTWKWRubmSK8dQX6ZWCMZN4-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 199, which would broaden the Louisiana Department of Insurance's authority to act against unlicensed individuals and deceptive insurance activity, was moved favorably as amended by the Senate Insurance Committee after testimony and amendments addressing due‑process and practice‑of‑law concerns.

Senator Michael Myers, the bill sponsor, told the committee the measure \"seeks to enhance Louisiana Department of Insurance Authority to more effectively combat insurance fraud, thereby protecting and ensuring a fair competitive marketplace.\" Myers said the bill would amend multiple provisions in Title 22 to expand the definition of the business of insurance to include advertisements, claims resolution and other consumer‑facing interactions.

Representatives from the Department of Insurance described recent adverse rulings from the Division of Administrative Law that narrowed the department's ability to issue cease‑and‑desist orders, including rulings that limited authority to licensed entities and constrained investigations when a crime might be involved. Nathan Strubach, deputy commissioner for insurance fraud, described two cases the department challenged in which administrative rulings limited its enforcement; he told the committee, \"Approximately 43 consumers testified that they had no intent to hire an attorney\" in one matter and described seized documents, demands and checks the department identified during its investigation.

The committee adopted a staff‑drafted amendment (amendment set 775) intended to preserve due process, modernize electronic notice language, and exclude lawful legal practice from the bill's reach. Senator DuPlessis pressed for clearer limits to ensure the department could not substitute its judgment for the disciplinary authority of the state bar; department witnesses said investigations would remain focused on insurance fraud and that disciplinary matters for attorneys would be referred to the disciplinary board and Supreme Court as appropriate.

Senator Bass raised questions about artificial‑intelligence‑driven prior‑authorization denials and whether those systems could amount to fraud; Department of Insurance officials said the department has consumer‑services and market‑conduct mechanisms to investigate algorithmic or systemic denials and would pursue cases if misrepresentation, intent to defraud and materiality were present.

After the amendment and clarifying exchanges, the chair announced there were no objections and that Senate Bill 199 was \"moved favorably as amended.\" The committee did not record a roll‑call vote in the transcript.

Votes at a glance: The committee adopted amendment set 775 and moved Senate Bill 199 favorably as amended by unanimous voice action recorded in the transcript.","Senate Bill 199, offering expanded enforcement authority to the Louisiana Department of Insurance to address unlicensed insurance actors and online scams, passed the Senate Insurance Committee as amended.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":79,"_43":90,"_45":90,"_47":91,"_49":92,"_51":93,"_53":94,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":95,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":96,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6256183,"Senate committee backs bill to let 18th JDC continue retiree health coverage until Medicare",3230000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3158095-951f42f8a4c5456ee97add36e9453719&start=3230&end=3230","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3158095-951f42f8a4c5456ee97add36e9453719/thumbnail_3230000.jpg","/articles/6256183/Louisiana/Senate-committee-backs-bill-to-let-18th-JDC-continue-retiree-health-coverage-until-Medicare","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6256183-7bbaf9367be1370d2203fa721f932190/orig.mp4?Expires=1770445324&Signature=hxVeiLZiyQb9T2DX6R5D8ECH3GuHKJAv~kMnMia~Xl~19CO4~yMtzYAUaUaESbxODHGu6Rlkb3rOHCvafBsx6znnBesZhfwNWI9037lB9RtsUZfUSBQlj4KilXCQeM359iUOLZbyIjb1uKwIcuHFQjlIFBJErr-eajMvKr~2Btx4xuK6WoZPSv1qD-Y1pBvFzP2KJfyrW37JakcaYhB-SbW~PX2kL3Sp5BRnem2VVXmUSUaKpyQGI8DjFMX1X7W-hsoA7ySuRgMe33JvdkTKyRzaXWJB0V9VkmN~dM~w--FYURE6gDecih8klko5S~D52ma3~gW0BZFyTxGXNE-jwQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Bill 138, which would allow the Eighteenth Judicial District district attorney’s office to provide retiree health insurance to long‑service employees until they reach Medicare eligibility, was reported favorably by the Senate Insurance Committee on April 30.

The bill was introduced by Senator Klein Peter and presented by Scott Stasse, staff for District Attorney Tony Clayton’s office. Stasse told the committee that the district, which covers Iberville, West Baton Rouge and Pointe Coupee parishes, recently began operating under a sales tax that now fully funds the office. He said employees previously received retiree benefits through their respective parishes but that consolidation under the new tax and the office’s decision to get its own insurance left longtime employees with a gap before Medicare eligibility.

\"We're just asking to allow us to bridge the gap between retirement and Medicare,\" Stasse said, explaining that the office now has fewer than 50 employees and uses community rating to stabilize premiums. He said the office seeks coverage only for the pre‑Medicare gap — for example, a worker who retires at 62 would receive coverage for the years until they turn 65; benefits would stop once Medicare eligibility begins.

The bill’s supporters told the committee the district previously received retiree benefits from the parish governments and that the change follows the district’s move to independent funding. Senator Bass questioned whether retirees would be required to enroll in Medicare once eligible; Stasse confirmed the office intends to shift retirees to Medicare at eligibility and not continue employer coverage after that point.

The committee recorded no opposition during the vote and the chair announced the bill was reported favorably. Committee members read several cards in support from individuals representing the Eighteenth Judicial District.

If advanced by the full Senate, the measure would permit the district to offer a short‑term bridge plan to retirees who have completed the district’s service thresholds. The bill does not mandate benefits beyond the date a retiree becomes Medicare‑eligible and does not specify plan design or employer contribution levels in the committee record.

Votes at a glance: The committee approved a motion to report Senate Bill 138 favorably by voice vote; no roll call was recorded in the transcript.

The bill was presented as a narrowly tailored change to permit a specific local government entity to offer retiree coverage for a defined pre‑Medicare period; committee members did not amend the bill during the hearing.","The Senate Insurance Committee on April 30 voted to report Senate Bill 138 favorably, allowing the Eighteenth Judicial District district attorney’s office to provide short-term retiree health coverage to longtime employees until they become Medicare-eligible.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Panel advances bill narrowing some bad‑faith claims against insurers; debate centers on insured protection

Committee backs bill to broaden insurance department authority to act against unlicensed fraud

Senate committee backs bill to let 18th JDC continue retiree health coverage until Medicare