Prawo do odstąpienia od umowy ubezpieczenia z elementem inwestycyjnym w założeniach do projektu ustawy o działalności ubezpieczeniowej
The right of cancellation of investment-linked insurance contracts in the explanatory paper on the Insurance activity Bill

Summary/Abstract: The Explanatory Paper on the Insurance and Re-insurance Activity Bill proposed to introduce a set of provisions that would establish a mechanism for cancellation by policyholders of investment-linked insurance contracts, i.e. unit linked life insurance contracts, life insurance contracts with benefits cal- culated on the basis of specific indices or other basic values (“structured products”), and endowment policies with benefits, payable on survival up to a stipulated age, whose value is equal to the insurance premium increased by an index set out in the policy (“saving insurance policies”). The right of cancel- lation could be exercised only once, within 60 days from the day the policyholder/insured was notified for the first time of the amount of benefits he/she would be entitled to under a concluded insurance contract. In the case of structured products and saving insurance policies, the proposed regulation of an insured’s right of cancellation obliges insurance companies to pay out the amount corresponding to the value of the premiums paid. For unit linked life insurance, the payment would be equal to the value of insurance units as of the date of the first notification, decreased by not more than 4 proc.The reviewed legislative proposal raises serious doubts, specifically in respect of unit linked life insur- ance policies. The proposed regulation, if adopted, would lead to a situation where an insurance company would have to pay benefits in the amount that does not correspond to the value of the fund units, which goes against the very nature of this type of insurance: i.e. passing the investment risk to the policyholder.In the case of saving insurance policies insurers invest premiums in low-risk instruments (such as de- posit accounts) and the accumulated capital equals – or even surpasses – the value of the premiums paid during the insurance period. In addition, it must be noted that saving insurance policies are issued for a period of 6 or 12 months. Accordingly, exercising the right of cancellation after a year is pointless.

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