If an insurance provision is altered, it must align with what core requirement?

When an insurance provision is altered, it must adhere to maintaining the minimum criteria of existing provisions. This requirement ensures that any changes made do not reduce the policyholder's existing rights or benefits and that the core functionalities of the insurance policy remain intact.

Altering an insurance provision while upholding minimum criteria maintains the integrity and purpose of the original agreement, safeguarding the interests of policyholders. This is crucial because policy changes can significantly impact the insured party's coverage and rights, and ensuring that minimum standards are met helps to protect consumers from losing essential benefits or protections.

Being compliant with state regulations is certainly important, but the primary focus when altering provisions should be on how these changes fit with the established minimum criteria of the insurance policy itself, which serves as a baseline of protection for the insured. Adding exclusions or increasing benefits can be important considerations, but they are secondary to ensuring that any modifications do not compromise the covered protections already in place.