The Washington-based nonprofit American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research said its conference next month will include a discussion of how an optional federal charter might affect the cost of insurance in Gulf Coast states.
The meeting June 8 at the Wohlstetter Conference Center in Washington is cosponsored by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI).
AEI noted that during this congressional session, Senators Tim Johnson, D-S.D., and John E. Sununu, R-N.H., are expected to cosponsor legislation to create an optional federal charter for insurers, allowing companies to organize under federal rather than state laws.
AEI noted that advocates of an OFC have argued it would enhance competition and make insurance more affordable, while opponents counter that it would make insurance even harder to obtain for people of modest incomes.
The OFC debate, AEI said, has drawn considerable attention in the wake of Hurricane Katrina since homeowners' insurance premiums have risen dramatically and many companies have either restricted coverage of, or withdrawn entirely from, certain areas of the Gulf Coast.
Discussion at the meeting, the Institute said, will delve into whether OFC legislation would create a more competitive market in areas afflicted by natural disasters and will examine whether a more competitive market would solve the insurance problems faced today by Gulf Coast residents.
Panelists scheduled for the meeting are Debra T. Ballen, American Insurance Association; Louisiana State Rep. Shirley D. Bowler, R-Harahan; Carl Parks, senior vice president, National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies; George A. Pieler, senior fellow, Institute for Policy Innovation; and Scott A. Sinder, attorney, Steptoe & Johnson.
The moderator will be Eli Lehrer, a CEI senior fellow.
Registration for the conference is online at http://www.aei.org/event1526.
AEI is a private, nonpartisan, not-for-profit institution dedicated to research and education on issues of government, politics, economics and social welfare, which lists its purposes as defending the principles and improving the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism–limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and responsibility, vigilant and effective defense and foreign policies, political accountability, and open debate.
AEI said its work is addressed to government officials and legislators, teachers and students, business executives, professionals, journalists, and all citizens interested in a serious understanding of government policy, the economy, and important social and political developments.
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