Child Support & Health Insurance: Understanding Your Rights

Child support is money that a noncustodial parent pays to take care of a child who does not live with him. The support is paid to the person the child lives with and is designed to meet the child's needs and maintain the standard of living the child would have had if the parents had remained together. Child support cases commonly involve the health care coverage the child needs to ensure her physical well-being.

Features

• The support amount is calculated by the income of the obligated parent or both parents, depending on the state. A statewide support table is usually used to determine the support total, and other factors, such as the child's education and medical needs, are considered.

Types

• Some states do not include child support and medical support together in one order but issue separate orders for each. A child support order includes the amount for the child's personal needs only while the medical support order addresses the child's health insurance coverage, premiums and any extraordinary medical expenses.

Considerations

• The parent who has health coverage available through work at a reasonable cost is typically the one who is ordered to maintain the child's coverage, regardless of which parent has custody. A custodial parent who provides the child's coverage receives reimbursement for part of the premium from the noncustodial parent. A noncustodial parent who provides the coverage is not necessarily entitled to money from the custodial parent; the final determination on the matter is made by the judge overseeing the support case.

Misconceptions

• In cases where neither parent can provide coverage due to lack of access or prohibitive cost, the child may be covered through a social services program, such as Medicaid. The court can order the noncustodial parent to pay medical support to the social service department that oversees the health program. A child with high medical needs is generally entitled to additional support from the noncustodial parent. The court handling the support case deviates from the state support guidelines in cases involving seriously or chronically ill children.