§ 58-18C-5 — Exercising continuation rights--Option to decrease benefits.

Any employee may exercise the right to continuation within thirty days of receipt of due notice of termination of coverage of the group and upon payment of premiums from the date of termination. Any insurer providing continuation coverage pursuant to § 58-18C-1 shall offer to all beneficiaries who are eligible to elect to continue coverage the option to decrease benefits of the continued coverage. The options shall include, at a minimum, those coverage options that would have been otherwise available to employees or dependents who initially enrolled into the coverage if the options decrease coverage or a carrier may offer a standardized plan to all those eligible for continuation that contains similar benefits to the beneficiaries prior coverage but at a higher deductible or other reduced benefit features.

Legislative History

SL 1998, ch 294, § 5; SL 2005, ch 270, § 3; SL 2008, ch 266, § 2.