On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in child support on Sunday, August 4, 2019.
While going through a divorce in Bloomington, you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse may disagree over many things; one of the few topics that you both can typically agree upon, however, is the importance of seeing to your kids’ needs. Yet even that can lead to discord when issues such as who should be responsible for covering the children’s healthcare costs come up. If your kids were covered under yours (or your ex-spouse’s) group health plan during the marriage, then the expectation will likely be that coverage should continue after your divorce. That may be true in some cases, yet not in others. Knowing who needs to carry insurance on the kids should be something you understand going into your divorce proceedings.
Per the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, if you (or your ex-spouse) are eligible for group health plan coverage through an employer, then the court will typically require that you (or your ex-spouse) continue to keep your kids on the plan after your divorce as part of your child support agreement. Yet what happens if either you (or your ex-spouse) is self-employed, or neither of your can secure coverage through an employer’s plan?
In such a situation, the court will typically order that either you (or your ex-spouse) secure health insurance and then both contribute a portion towards the monthly premium. In other cases, one of you may be required to pay more each month on top of the standard child support payment to help cover healthcare costs. The state does indeed offer its own insurance program for children at a reduced cost, yet this fact typically does not change the obligation that you (or your ex-spouse) may have to carry health insurance for your kids.
