33-20-1104. Public employee groups. The lives of a group of individuals may be insured under a policy issued to an incorporated city, town, or village or an association or league of cities, towns, or villages, an independent school district, state college or university, any association of state employees, and any association of state, county, and city, town, or village employees and any combination of state, county, or city, town, or village employees and any department of the state or county government, which employer or association shall be deemed the policyholder, to insure the employees of any such incorporated city, town, or village, of any such independent school district, of any such state college and university, or of any such department of the state or county government or members of any association of state, county, or city, town, or village employees, for the benefit of persons other than the policyholder, subject to the following requirements:

(1) The employees eligible for insurance under the policy shall be all of the employees of the employer or all of any class or classes thereof determined by conditions pertaining to their employment. The policy may provide that the term "employees" shall include retired employees. A policy issued to insure the employees of a public body may provide that the term "employees" shall include elected or appointed officials.

(2) The premium for the policy shall be paid by the policyholder wholly from funds contributed by it as employer or partly from such funds and partly from funds contributed by the insured employees or wholly from funds contributed by the insured employees, except that:

(a) the employer may deduct from the employees' salaries the required contributions for the premiums when authorized in writing by the respective employees so to do; and

(b) the premium for the policy may be paid by the policyholder wholly or partly from funds contributed by any incorporated city, town, or village policyholder when authorized by the charter of such city, town, or village or as otherwise authorized by law.

(3) Such policy may be placed in force only if at least 75% of the eligible employees, excluding any as to whom evidence of individual insurability is not satisfactory to the insurer, elect to make the required premium contributions and become insured thereunder.

(4) The policy must cover at least 10 employees at date of issue.