Studies in Ethics - A Hippocratic Oath for Insurance Professionals

Professional oaths are statements of common principles and they re-focus the oath-giver on the true principles of the profession.  Interestingly enough, the principles of the Hippocratic Oath, have relevance to modern insurance practice.  Dr. Robert Orr collected various authorities and suggested in a 2009 article that the core principles of the Hippocratic Oath are “the competence of the physician and the best interests of the patient,” which are then coupled with “compassion” and “moral commitment.”

With this background in mind, the first half of the seminar uses portions of the Hippocratic Oath to introduce core principles of ethical professional behavior.  Competent representation and advice-giving are at the forefront of the first section; privacy concerns are the second.  Preventative risk management for insureds is the third section; the Hippocratic Oath principles conclude with a discussion of community service standards overall.

The seminar then shifts to ethics studies based on real, insurance-oriented case law or scenarios.  The fact patterns are developed from real cases or situations, which are presented to attendees.  The fact patterns are modified in some respects to bring the ethical issues into sharper focus, while still maintaining the basic realism of the coverage or business questions presented.  The names will be changed because of the changes in facts, but the cases and their actual outcomes will be discussed. 
 

Basic Course Information

• Hippocrates’ Oath Applied to Insurance
• Why Have Professional Oaths?
• A Powerful Simplicity: The CPCU Professional Commitment and the Nine Canons
• Three Real Case Studies

• Professional Oaths
• Case Study #1: Cracked Bell Insurance v. Breezy Apex Condominium Assoc
• Case Study #2: Buckacres Construction v. Monuments Insurance
• Case Study #3:  Asset Sale with a “Difficult” Book of Business