Mass. Gen. Laws » Part I Title IV Chapter 32B
Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 32B, § 9 (2026)

Policy provisions

✓ current as of July 2026
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Section 9. The policy or policies of insurance shall provide that upon retirement of an employee, the policy or policies providing at least two thousand dollars of group life insurance and at least two thousand dollars of group accidental death and dismemberment insurance as set forth in section five, except the optional coverage referred to therein, shall be reduced to one thousand dollars of group life insurance, unless the governmental unit has accepted section nine F, and the retired employee shall make payment of the full premium cost, subject to the provisions of section nine A or nine E, whichever may be applicable, of the average group premium as determined by the appropriate public authority for such insurance; and the group general or blanket insurance providing hospital, surgical, medical, dental and other health insurance, as provided under sections four, eleven C, and sixteen as may be applicable, shall be continued and the retired employee shall pay the full premium cost, subject to the provisions of section nine A or section nine E whichever may be applicable of the average group premium as determined by the appropriate public authority for such hospital, surgical, medical, dental and other health insurance.

The policy or policies may provide for group life insurance not to exceed one thousand dollars on the lives of retired employees who, up to the effective date of such policy or policies, were insured under a group life policy purchased pursuant to the provisions of clause (44) of section five of chapter forty.

Prior to retirement, an insured employee who terminates his services with the governmental unit and who has a right to retire but whose retirement is deferred under any applicable law shall for the purpose of this chapter only be deemed to have been granted a leave of absence without pay and may continue all insurance coverages to which he would have been entitled if he had not terminated his services; provided he files an application therefor with the treasurer of the governmental unit and makes payment for the full premium cost of his insurance with no contribution by the governmental unit notwithstanding the provisions of sections nine A or nine E.

The policy or policies shall also provide that upon termination of employment an employee shall be entitled to convert his insurance to an individual type of policy, subject to the provisions of section one hundred and thirty-four of chapter one hundred and seventy-five with respect to life insurance, and subject to the requirements of the appropriate public authority with respect to health insurance coverages provided in this chapter which shall not be less than the minimum hospital, medical, surgical, dental and other health benefits provided in an individual policy regularly issued by the insurance carrier at the time of conversion, except that with respect to the services of a health care organization, the contract made under section sixteen may provide for extension or continuation of coverage in lieu of the right to convert. No employee will be permitted to convert his insurance or extend or continue coverage for services of a health care organization on separation from service more than one time, if such converted or extended insurance would result in a greater amount of insurance than is provided in sections three, five, eleven C or twelve, as the case may be.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 11 cases (1 in the last 5 years), 1994–2025 · leading case: Galenski v. Town of Erving, 28 N.E.3d 470 (Mass. 2015).
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Galenski v. Town of Erving, 28 N.E.3d 470 (Mass. 2015). · cites it 4× “Under the “default” provision of G. L. c. 32B, § 9, if group health insurance is offered to a municipality’s active employees, such insurance coverage “shall be continued [for retired employees] and the retired employee shall pay the full premium cost, subject to the provisions…”
Cioch v. Treasurer of Ludlow, 871 N.E.2d 469 (Mass. 2007). · cites it 6× “She sought a declaration that the defendants had violated the “state public employee retirement law, in particular G. L. c. 32B, §§ 9 & 16, by [their] refusal to enroll [Cioch] in the Town’s retiree group health insurance program,” an order requiring that she be enrolled in the…”
Larson v. Sch. Comm. of Plymouth, 723 N.E.2d 497 (Mass. 2000). · cites it 8× “We transferred this case here on our own motion to decide whether the plaintiff, a tenured school teacher who was terminated for cause by the defendant, the school committee of Plymouth (committee), is ineligible for health insurance benefits provided by the town of Plymouth to…”
City of Somerville v. Commonwealth Emp. Relations Bd., 24 N.E.3d 552 (Mass. 2015). · cites it 2× “*565 Pursuant to G. L. c. 32B, § 9, retirees bear the full cost of their health insurance premiums unless a municipality has accepted the more generous provisions of G.”
Massachusetts Nurses Ass'n v. Cambridge Pub. Health Comm'n, 976 N.E.2d 839 (Mass. App. Ct. 2012). · cites it 2× “Under G. L. c. 32B, § 9, a retiree bears the full cost of his health insurance premium unless the “municipality” has accepted the more generous provisions of G.”
McDonald v. Town Manager of Southbridge, 657 N.E.2d 1285 (Mass. App. Ct. 1995). “After a jury-waived trial, a judge of the Superior Court dismissed the complaint, ruling that under G. L. c. 32B, § 9, the plaintiff could not be covered by the plan because he had not been a plan participant at the time of his retirement.”
Michael Cannata v. Town of Mashpee (Mass. 2025). · cites it 18× “Cannata commenced an action in the Superior Court, seeking a judgment declaring that the town's denial of benefits violated G. L. c. 32B, § 9. A Superior Court judge granted the town's motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim.”
Boss v. Town of Leverett (Mass. 2020). · cites it 2× “9 8 The first sentence of G. L. c. 32B, § 9, states in relevant part: "The policy or policies of insurance shall provide that upon retirement of an employee, .”
City of Somerville v. Commonwealth Emp. Relations Bd. (Mass. 2015). · cites it 2× “Pursuant to G. L. c. 32B, § 9, retirees bear the full cost of their health insurance premiums unless a municipality has accepted the more generous provisions of G.”
Cuticchia v. Town of Andover, 121 N.E.3d 703 (Mass. App. Ct. 2019). “Although G. L. c. 32B, § 9, states that retirees are to bear the full cost of their health insurance, municipalities may elect to pay a share of those premiums by "accept[ing] the more generous provisions of G.”
Yetman v. City of Cambridge, 2 Mass. L. Rptr. 316 (Mass. Super. Ct. 1994). · cites it 2× “Yetman’s claim is based on his assertion that the City’s failure to continue to offer Master Health Plus is a violation of G.L.c. 32B, §9 (1992 ed.). The applicable language of that statute reads as follows: The policy or policies of insurance shall provide that upon retirement…”
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