North Dakotans understand that having children carries with it many responsibilities. These responsibilities do not simply end when the couple’s marriage ends and they divorce. The transition from a family unit to one in which the parties are living separately with the child residing with one and visiting the other based on a schedule is a difficult one. Making it work can be complicated and part of that is making certain that the best interests of the child are served.
A key aspect of that is ensuring the child’s medical needs are met. Understanding how medical support falls into the category of child support is integral to a case. When there is a court order for a parent to pay child support, it will have health insurance as part of the order. This is a matter of law. When the child support obligation is determined, there will be a medical support obligation too. In general, the parent who is receiving support must have health insurance if it is available and it is low cost or no cost. The parent who is paying child support must provide the coverage under those same terms.
“Reasonable cost” means that it can be received through a workplace plan, via a union or in a group situation. State child support will gather the information from the paying parent and give it to the receiving parent. There is a Medical Support Affidavit that can be filled out or the department can contact the parent’s employer to get the necessary information.
Medical support is one of the most important parts of child support. If the child is not getting the necessary medical care because of a parent’s failure to adhere to the law, it is essential to have legal help to get that coverage. A law firm that understands all areas of child support, including the medical needs and any other area that is critical to successfully raising a child should be contacted for help with this or any other concern as it arises.
