Sec. 7-464. Group insurance benefits for municipal employees, volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance personnel. Age discrimination. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 7-464. Group insurance benefits for municipal employees, volunteer firefighters and volunteer ambulance personnel. Age discrimination. (a) Any town, city or borough may, through its authorized officials, provide such form or forms of group life, health and accident and hospital plan benefits for its employees as it deems advisable. Any town, city or borough that provides health and accident and hospital plan benefits for its employees may arrange and procure the same benefits for each active member of a volunteer fire company or department or volunteer ambulance service or company within such town, city or borough, provided the member (1) elects coverage under such plan or plans, (2) pays one hundred per cent of the premium charged and any additional costs for such coverage, and (3) meets the requirements for active status set forth by said town, city or borough.

      (b) If the town, city or borough has less than twenty employees, no health and accident and hospital plan for such employees may provide for reduced coverage for any employee who has reached the age of sixty-five and is eligible for Medicare benefits or any employee's spouse who has reached age sixty-five and is eligible for Medicare benefits except to the extent such coverage is provided by Medicare. If the town, city or borough has twenty or more employees, the terms of any such plan shall entitle any employee who has attained the age of sixty-five and any employee's spouse who has attained the age of sixty-five to group hospital, surgical or medical insurance coverage under the same conditions as any covered employee or spouse who is under the age of sixty-five.

      (1949 Rev., S. 922; 1949, 1955, S. 424d; 1959, P.A. 152, S. 23; P.A. 82-196, S. 3; P.A. 88-303, S. 1, 6; P.A. 90-88, S. 1; P.A. 03-254, S. 1.)

      History: 1959 act removed references to counties; P.A. 82-196 provided that the insurance benefits for employees who have reached 65 years of age shall not be reduced except to the extent such coverage is provided by Medicare; P.A. 88-303 removed the provision for reduced coverage for Medicare- eligible employees and added the provision that employees and their spouses aged 65 and over are entitled to group health insurance under the same conditions as covered employees and spouses under age 65; P.A. 90-88 allowed for the provision of reduced coverage for Medicare eligible employees of municipalities with less than 20 employees in certain cases; P.A. 03-254 divided existing provisions into Subsecs. (a) and (b) and amended Subsec. (a) to authorize municipalities to allow active volunteer firefighters and ambulance personnel to participate in the same health insurance plan as municipal employees, provided the volunteers elect coverage under the plan, pay the entire cost of coverage and meet the municipality's requirements for active status.