Paying For Your Child's Medical Care After Divorce

Addressing child support and medical expenses is an important part of divorce mediation in California. Here's what divorcing parents should understand about how their children's medical care is handled.

Child Support and Medical Expenses

In most cases, divorce means one parent provides child support to the other for the child's daily expenses, such as food, clothing, and housing. However, courts cannot predict future medical expenses, and the monthly support amount may not cover these costs.

Covered Medical Expenses

California courts consider medical insurance premiums when determining child support. Part of the health insurance premium is credited against the child support obligation. Various methods can be used to determine how much will be paid for the health insurance premium.

Future Medical Expenses

Parents aware of specific future medical expenses can negotiate payment as part of their settlement agreement. For example, if both parents know their child's medical treatment isn't covered by insurance, they can agree to divide this expense equally or based on their relative incomes. Alternatively, one parent may agree to cover all such costs.

Uncovered Medical Expenses

The settlement agreement should outline how parents will divide extra medical expenses not reimbursed by insurance, such as co-pays for medications and doctor visits. These expenses can be split equally, in proportion to income, or entirely by one parent. This division is factored into the child support amount.

Agreement on Uncovered Medical Expenses

It's beneficial for parents to agree on how to handle uncovered medical expenses. Often, one parent pays the costs and submits bills to the other for reimbursement within a set timeframe. Some parents set up a joint account, funded equally each month, with the spending parent informing the other and providing receipts as proof of payment.

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