{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-304.32-300","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 304.32-300","heading":"Conversion health insurance policy -- Rights of employee's surviving","body":"spouse.\n(1) Any private employer doing business in this state who provides for his employees\non a self-insured basis, hospital or surgical benefits, other than for specific diseas es\nor accidental injury only, shall purchase a conversion health insurance policy. Upon\nthe termination of the employment of any employee who has been continuously\nemployed for not less than six (6) months immediately preceding the termination,\nthe employee shall be entitled to have issued to him by the insurer, without evidence\nof insurability, a health insurance policy on a form then available for conversion\nfrom the health benefit plan provided by the employer by making written\napplication therefor, acco mpanied by the first quarterly, semiannual or annual\npremium, at the option of the employee to the employer not later than thirty -one\n(31) days after such termination.\n(2) The individual health insurance policy available as provided in subsection (1) shall\ncover the employee and his dependents for whom the employer provided health or\nsurgical benefits on the date the employment was terminated. The effective date of\nany such individual policy shall be the date of the termination of the employment.\n(3) The employee shall not be entitled to be issued a converted policy upon termination\nof employment if he is or could be covered by Medicare (Title XVIII of the United\nStates Social Security Act as added by the social security amendments of 1965 or as\nlater amended or superseded). Furthermore, the employee shall not be entitled to be\nissued a converted policy if (a) such person is covered for similar benefits by\nanother hospital or surgical or medical expense insurance policy or hospital or\nmedical service subscriber contract or medical practice or other prepayment plan or\nby any other plan or program or (b) similar benefits are provided for, or are\navailable to, such person pursuant to, or in accordance with the requirements of any\nstatute, and the benefits provided or available under any of the sources referred to in\n(a) and (b) above for such employee, together with the converted policy, would\nresult in over insurance according to the employer's standards relating to policies\nconverted from the hospital or surgical benefits provided by the employer.\n(4) The surviving spouse, at the death of an employee, shall be entitled to be issued a\nconverted policy with respect to the spouse and such children whose coverage under\nthe employer's hospital or surgical benefits ter minates by reason of the death of an\nemployee.\n(5) If an employee or employee's spouse becomes entitled to obtain a converted policy\npursuant to the foregoing provisions, and if such person has not been given written\nnotice of the existence of the conversi on privilege stated above, within thirty -one\n(31) days of termination of the group coverage, then in such event the person shall\nhave an additional period within which to exercise the conversion privilege. This\nadditional period shall expire fifteen (15) d ays after the person shall have been\ngiven said notice but in no event shall the additional period extend beyond sixty\n(60) days after the expiration of the thirty -one (31) day conversion period stated\nabove. Written notice presented to the person or maile d by the employer to the last\nknown address of the person or mailed by the insurer to the last known address of\nthe person as furnished by the employer shall constitute the giving of notice for the\npurpose of this paragraph. If an additional period is allo wed the person for exercise\nof the conversion privilege as provided herein, and if written application for the\nconverted policy, accompanied by the first quarterly or semiannual or annual\npremium, is made after the expiration of the thirty -one (31) day con version period\nstated above, but within the additional period allowed an employee or spouse in\naccordance with this paragraph, the effective date of the converted policy shall be\nthe date of termination of employment.","path":[],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=29810","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:57:54Z","sha256":"9ad99e18a261d9f8ab2b6ed7c84ae1a9615f8c54f51db6359fd4faee5b292cb3","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-304.32-290","next":"us-ky/krs-304.32-310"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}