Government Senator Walton Brown yesterday called for a review of health coverage, claiming people with serious illnesses are sometimes fired when no longer fit to work and left without cover.

However Senate president Carol Bassett, who was vice president of Life Insurance at BF&M before retiring in 2004, said people should explore their rights by looking at the master policy or talking to an insurance representative.

Sen. Bassett said: "In most cases where a person is terminated because of illness under a group policy, they can extend that coverage for up to 15 months."

And she said just because an employee was terminated it didn't mean the coverage also ended.

"My advice to the family and the employee is to sit down with a representative and go over the contract. They do have rights."

And she said the majority of policies have provision for sacked workers to get an individual policy within 31 days without having to prove they are healthy which is normally a sticking point for new policies.

"If you are applying for a policy when you are sick they can turn it down."

But those who are in for some time can extend, although the premiums are likely to be higher, said Sen. Bassett.

And BF&M president and CEO John Wight said: "Any employee in a group health plan with BF&M has a conversion privilege.

"This means that within 31 days of them leaving their employer's health plan, for whatever reason, they can convert to an individual major medical health plan with no underwriting or medical evidence required."

Sen. Brown, who raised the issue during the Senate's motion to adjourn, said: "We have a situation where people are working ten, 20, 30, maybe 40 years for a company and they are covered by medical insurance.

"It seems that when they do get into difficulties a number of companies terminate them from employment.

"Because they are unable to work for a period of time the coverage comes to an end. It seems fundamentally wrong."

He said some people were paying in for decades without any serious issues but coverage was taken away from them just when they really needed it.

"We need to find some way to fix it. I am not one who believes Government can or should cure all social ills, but I think collectively we need to find ways (to solve it)."

Sen. Brown said he would be taking it up with colleagues.

"There is something fundamentally wrong in a country as rich as ours when we can't provide coverage for people when they need it most."

He was supported by Opposition Senate leader Michael Dunkley, who said many companies kept employees on after the retirement age to keep their health coverage going.

And he said with a growing band of seniors the problem would get more pressing.