505.17 Confidential information.

1. a. Information, records, and documents utilized for the purpose of, or in the course of, investigation, regulation, or examination of an insurance company or insurance holding company, received by the division from some other governmental entity which treats such information, records, and documents as confidential, are confidential and shall not be disclosed by the division and are not subject to subpoena. Such information, records, and documents do not constitute a public record under chapter 22.

b. The disclosure of confidential information, administrative or judicial orders which contain confidential information, or information regarding other action of the division which is not a public record subject to disclosure, to other insurance and financial regulatory officials may be permitted by the commissioner provided that those officials are subject to, or agree to comply with, standards of confidentiality comparable to those imposed on the commissioner.

2. Notwithstanding subsection 1, an application for a rate increase filed by a health insurance carrier and all information, records, and documents accompanying such an application or utilized for the purpose of, or in the course of consideration of the application by the commissioner, shall constitute a public record under chapter 22 except as provided in this subsection.

a. The commissioner shall consider the written request of a health insurance carrier to keep confidential certain details of an application or accompanying information, records, and documents. If the request includes a sufficient explanation as to why public disclosure of such details would give an unfair advantage to competitors, the commissioner shall keep such details confidential. If the commissioner elects to keep certain details confidential, the commissioner shall release only the nonconfidential details in response to a request for records made pursuant to chapter 22. If confidential details are withheld from a request for records made pursuant to chapter 22, the commissioner shall release an explanation of why the information was deemed confidential and a summary of the nature of the information withheld and the reasons for withholding the information.

b. In considering requests for confidential treatment, the commissioner shall narrowly construe the provisions of this subsection in order to appropriately balance an applicant’s need for confidentiality against the public’s right to information about the application.

94 Acts, ch 1176, §4; 99 Acts, ch 165, §1; 2010 Acts, ch 1121, §6, 33

Referred to in §505.7