Section 25: Licensing of agents
Section 25. Upon written notice by a non-profit hospital service corporation of its appointment of a person to act as its agent whose compensation in whole or in part is computed on a commission basis, the commissioner of insurance, in this section called the commissioner shall, if he is satisfied that the appointee is a suitable and competent person of full age and intends to hold himself out and carry on business in good faith as an agent and upon payment by the corporation of a fee to be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven, issue to him a license which shall state in substance that the person named therein is the constituted agent of the non-profit hospital service corporation in the commonwealth. Such notice shall be upon a form furnished by the commissioner, and shall be accompanied by a statement executed on oath by the appointee which shall give his name, age, residence, present occupation, his occupation for the five years next preceding the date of the notice, and such other information as the commissioner may require upon a form furnished by him. The commissioner may, at any time, for cause shown and after a hearing, revoke the license or suspend it for a period not exceeding the unexpired term thereof, and may, for cause shown and after a hearing, revoke the license while so suspended, and shall notify both the corporation and the agent in writing of such revocation or suspension. A license issued hereunder shall expire on the thirtieth day of June next after its issue, unless sooner revoked or suspended as aforesaid, or unless the corporation, by a written notice filed with the commissioner, cancels the authority of the agent to act for it. Such license may, in the discretion of the commissioner and upon payment by the corporation of said fee, be renewed for any succeeding year by a renewal certificate without requiring anew the detailed information hereinbefore specified. Every corporation shall be bound by the acts of the person named in the license within the scope of his apparent authority as its acknowledged agent while such license remains in force. Notices of hearings required by this section shall be deemed sufficient when sent postpaid by registered mail to the last business or resident address of the licensee appearing on records of the commissioner. The affidavit of the commissioner or of any person authorized by him to send such notice that such notice has been sent in accordance with this section shall be prima facie evidence that such notice was duly given. This section shall not apply to an officer of a non-profit hospital service corporation acting for such corporation in the negotiation, continuance or renewal of any subscriber's contract which it may lawfully make.