Child support and uninsured medical costs

 Posted on December 09, 2016 in Child Support

Uninsured medical expenses refer to any expenses which are not covered by insurance including deductibles, prescriptions, and other medical costs. Parents are expected to pay for their child's uninsured medical expenses in addition to their primary child support obligations. These are also called extraordinary medical expenses as they exceed the allowable limit of medical expenses in a basic health care plan.

State laws regarding uninsured medical expenses are different for different states. Some states require parents to contribute a certain proportion of the expenses based on their monthly income. Other states require non-custodial parents to contribute to the cost according to a certain percentage already set up in a child support payment.

It is always important to check your state laws for this process. It is also important to check for timings, notice and a reasonable contribution of the expense by the other parent within a specified time. Courts have the authority to decide the amount of reasonable expenses, which varies case to case. The payment procedure may include direct payment to the other parent who is incurring the cost. It is important to keep all receipts intact, making copies of bills and prescriptions, and informing the other parent of the costs in a timely manner.

A child's medical expenses can add up quickly, leaving parents struggling to pay the bills. It is thus beneficial to get more information on your child support obligations by having a family law attorney review your case. The attorney will go through your child support agreement and evaluate your financial duties.