A.  The provisions of this Section shall be applicable to any group life insurance, group insurance, family group, blanket and franchise health and accident insurance, and health care services plan provided by any private or public employer in this state.

B.  Any employee shall have the right to maintain the insurance or plan coverage enumerated in Subsection A by furnishing his employer with sums equal to that which would have been deducted from his compensation for such coverage.  Upon timely receipt of the employee’s contributions required by the insurance policy or plan provisions, the employer shall provide the applicable insurer or health maintenance organization with those contributions plus an amount equal to what the employer would have contributed during the period of service in the uniformed services.  The employee shall notify his employer of his election to continue insurance or plan coverage at the time he enters service in the uniformed services.

C.  Family members or dependent children of an employee who are covered by any insurance policy or plan enumerated in Subsection A herein who are subsequently called to service in the uniformed services shall continue to be considered family members or dependents under the provisions of the policy or plan without any lapse of coverage, provided that all required contributions are paid in accordance with the policy or plan provisions.

D.  Any employee who leaves employment to perform service in the uniformed services and who reapplies for coverage, after release, as provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 29:406, shall be reinstated, including all of his family members and dependents previously covered, with the group insurance program or medical and health care coverage without any clause or restriction because of a preexisting condition and any eligible dependent covered under a plan or policy enumerated in Subsection A of this Section who is called to service in the uniformed services and whose coverage under a plan or policy is not maintained during such service, after release and upon application of the policyholder of the plan or policy, shall be reinstated with the group policy or plan without any clause or restriction because of a preexisting condition.

E.  The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to invalidate the provision of any life insurance policy excluding or restricting coverage in the event of death as provided for in La. Rev. Stat. 22:170(B)(1) and (2).

F.  The provisions of this Section shall not invalidate any legitimate exclusions to coverage of any policy or plan enumerated in Subsection A herein.

Acts 1991, 1st E.S., No. 6, §1, eff. April 17, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 716, §1, eff. June 21, 1995; Acts 2003, No. 359, §1, eff. June 18, 2003.

NOTE:  See Acts 2003, No. 359, §2.