Subject to the provisions and conditions of this part, if the group policy from which conversion is made provides the employee or member with major medical or comprehensive medical insurance, the employee or member shall be entitled to obtain a converted policy providing comprehensive medical coverage providing at least the following benefits:

(a) A payment per covered person for all covered medical expenses incurred during the person’s lifetime equal to one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000); provided, however, that for treatment of mental illness payment may be limited to ten thousand dollars ($10,000) during the person’s lifetime.

(b) Payment of benefits at the rate of 75 percent of covered medical expenses; provided, however, that if coverage is provided for expenses incurred for outpatient treatment of mental illness, payment of benefits may be at the rate of 50 percent of such covered expenses, and the insurer may limit the amount of covered expense for each outpatient visit and the amount of benefits payable for expenses incurred during each calendar year for that outpatient treatment.

(c) A cash deductible for each benefit period at the option of the insured of two hundred dollars ($200), five hundred dollars ($500), or one thousand dollars ($1,000), but not less than the cash deductible which applied to the insured under the group policy which entitles him or her to a converted policy.

(d) Covered medical expenses shall include the charges for a semiprivate hospital room and board, but need not exceed the lesser of two hundred dollars ($200) per day or the hospital’s most common charge for a semiprivate room, covered expenses for intensive care shall be at least two and one-half times the covered hospital room and board charge. The maximum dollar amount for hospital room and board daily covered expense may be redetermined by the commissioner as to conversion coverage issued after the redetermination. That redetermination shall not be made more often than once in three years. The maximum dollar amount redetermined by the commissioner shall not exceed the average semiprivate room rate then charged in the state.

(e) Covered expenses under this section shall include benefits for expense incurred by the employee, member, or spouse in connection with pregnancy, provided that:

(1) The pregnancy commenced while covered under the group policy from which conversion was made.

(2) The expense is of a type which would have been covered under such group policy.

(3) The conversion policy is in force when the expense is incurred.

(f) Covered expense under this section need not include expense for dental or vision care, or other optional benefits not normally offered by the insurer under a major medical or comprehensive medical expense plan.

(Amended by Stats. 1993, Ch. 1210, Sec. 11. Effective January 1, 1994.)