2018 New Mexico Statutes
Chapter 59A - Insurance Code
Article 21 - Group Life Insurance
Section 59A-21-19 - Conversion privilege; termination of membership in group or by death of employee.

A group life insurance policy shall contain in substance a provision that if the insurance, or any portion of it, on a person covered under the policy or on the dependent of such person ceases because of termination of employment or of membership in the class or classes eligible for coverage under the policy, such person shall be entitled to have issued to him by the insurer, without evidence of insurability, an individual policy of life insurance without disability or other supplementary benefits, provided application for the individual policy shall be made, and the first premium paid to the insurer, within thirty-one (31) days after such termination, and such individual policy shall be subject to the following requirements:

A. the individual policy shall, at the option of such person be on any one of the forms, except term insurance, then customarily issued by the insurer at the age and for the amount applied for;

B. the individual policy shall be in an amount not in excess of the amount of life insurance which ceases because of such termination, less the amount of any life insurance for which such person becomes eligible under the same or any other group policy within thirty-one (31) days after such termination, provided that any amount of insurance which shall have matured on or before the date of such termination as an endowment payable to the person insured, whether in one sum or in installments or in the form of an annuity, shall not, for the purposes of this provision, be included in the amount which is considered to cease because of such termination; and

C. the premium on the individual policy shall be at the insurer's then customary rate applicable to the form and amount of the individual policy, to the class of risk to which such person then belongs and to his age attained on the effective date of the individual policy.

D. subject to the same conditions set forth above, the conversion privilege shall be available (1) to a surviving dependent, if any, at the death of the employee or member, with respect to the coverage under the group policy which terminates by reason of such death and (2) to the dependent of the employee or member upon termination of coverage of the dependent, while the employee or member remains insured under the group policy, by reason of the dependent ceasing to be a qualified family member, by divorce or otherwise, under the group policy.

History: Laws 1984, ch. 127, § 416.

Am. Jur. 2d, A.L.R. and C.J.S. references. — Failure of employer or insurer to notify employee dropped from payroll of necessity for and time of contribution to group insurance premium, 2 A.L.R.2d 852.

Termination of coverage under group policy with regard to termination of employment, 68 A.L.R.2d 8, 32 A.L.R.4th 1037.