《保险研究》20190710-《《保险法》第26条诉讼时效规范之反思与优化》（武亦文、赵亚宁）

［摘   要］保险索赔时效是对保险金请求权行使期间的限制,《保险法》第26条对之有所规定。但该条规范不仅与我国诉讼时效制度的基本法理和民法规范相冲突,亦与保险消费者保护这一现代保险法立法理念相背离。而且,其对诉讼时效期间起算点的不当规定更是我国学界关于保险索赔时效之法律性质争议的肇因。《保险法》第26条将保险索赔时效定性为诉讼时效并无不妥,但其中诉讼时效期间长度和起算点的规定亟需得到修正。就前者而言,应当将非人寿保险金请求权的诉讼时效期间延长为3年；就后者而言,应当以“被保险人或受益人能够依诉行使保险金请求权之时”,即“被保险人或受益人知道或应当知道保险人不履行保险金给付义务之时”,作为保险金请求权诉讼时效期间的起算点,具体情形包括三种。责任保险的索赔时效亦应适用非人寿保险索赔时效的一般规定,《保险法司法解释(四)》第18条的特别规定应予废止。

［关键词］保险索赔时效；保险金请求权；《保险法》第26条；诉讼时效；除斥期间

［基金项目］本文为2018年度武汉大学自主科研项目(人文社会科学)研究成果,得到“中央高校基本科研业务费专项资金”资助。

［作者简介］武亦文,武汉大学法学院副教授,武汉大学“珞珈青年学者”,法学博士,研究方向:商法、保险法、金融法、信托法,E-mail:wuyiwencivillaw@163.com；赵亚宁,武汉大学法学院民商事法律科学研究中心研究人员,研究方向:商法、保险法、金融法、信托法。

A Reflection on and Perfection of the Limitation of Action of Article 26 of the Insurance Law

WU Yi-wen,ZHAO Ya-ning

Abstract：The validity time of an insurance claim is to limit the period for exercising the claim for insurance,which is regulated in Article 26 of Insurance Law. However,provisions of this Article not only contradict with basic legal theory and civil rules of limitation of action in China,but also deviate from the modern insurance legislation concept of insurance consumer protection. What’s more,the improper provision of the starting point of the limitation period in Article 26 is exactly what leads to the academic disputes on the legal nature of insurance-claim limitation period in China. There is nothing wrong in that Article 26 takes insurance-claim limitation period as limitation of action,but its provisions on the length and starting point of the limitation period are badly in need to be modified. For the former,the length of limitation period of claim for insurance in non-life insurance shall be extended to 3 years. For the latter,the limitation period of claim for insurance shall begin at the moment when the insured or the beneficiary can claim for insurance through litigation,i.e.,when they know or ought to know that the insurer does not perform its obligation to pay insurance benefits. Concrete situations of this are of three types. The claim limitation period of liability insurance shall apply the general provisions of that of non-life insurance,and the special provision of Article 18 of the Fourth Judicial Interpretation of Insurance Law shall be repealed.

Key words：insurance-claim limitation period; claim for Insurance; Article 26 of the Insurance Law; limitation of action; scheduled period