Ensuring That Insurance is Fair
A full year before Congress voted for an overhaul of America’s health care system, Dr. Lars Powell testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Financial Services Committee. His testimony helped the panel explore the advantages and disadvantages of recently introduced bills aimed at restricting or prohibiting the use of credit-based insurance scores in setting personal insurance rates.
Dr. Powell, an assistant professor in Economics and Finance, researches the effects of regulation within the insurance market, helping lawmakers, employers, and professional associations understand the impact of their actions on the business environment.
Dr. Powell published the study, “Credit-Based Scoring in Insurance Markets,” which has been included in three well-received peer-reviewed publications – including the Independent Policy Report and the upcoming issue of Insurance Choices. This was also his testimony topic before the House of Representatives in 2008 and his invited speech to the American Bar Association in February 2009. His article, “Assault on the McCarran-Ferguson Act,” in the Journal of Insurance Regulation prompted speech invitations, including the 2007 National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies Annual Conference.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in finance and insurance from the University of South Carolina, Dr. Powell received a doctorate from the University of Georgia. He was named UA Little Rock’s Whitbeck-Beyer Chair of Insurance and Financial Services in 2004. He is also an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in health services research.