Child Support and Health Care Coverage

How can a child support court order help me get coverage or pay for uninsured medical expenses for my children?

If the obligor has health insurance or other health coverage on a group plan available through an employer or organization, or can get health insurance at a reasonable cost that may be extended to cover your children, the court must order him or her to provide coverage for the children.

If the health coverage is to be provided by the obligor, the support order is reduced by half (½) the cost of the family coverage. But if the obligor's insurance will charge no additional cost to add the children, then there is no reduction of the support order.

If you are providing the health insurance coverage for the children, the child support guidelines require that your child support be increased by ½ the weekly cost to you of providing that coverage. But if you already have health insurance coverage which will add the children at no additional cost, then there is no increase.

The parent who has custody of the children is responsible for the first $100 per child per year of routine uninsured medical and dental expenses.

The Court can order the other parent to pay all or part of the routine uninsured