Medical Support and Health Care Coverage

Medical support means providing health care coverage for a joint child by carrying or contributing to the cost of:

• health care coverage through an employer or other group plan;
• an individual policy purchased in the private market;
• public coverage (medical assistance); or
• unreimbursed and uninsured medical expenses.

In Minnesota, every child support order must include health care coverage for the child(ren).  A parent’s obligation will include medical support and will be part of their child support case. The court order will specify:

• if a parent is ordered to provide or maintain health care coverage for the child(ren),
• the cost of premiums and how that cost is divided between the parents,
• how costs not paid by health insurance (unreimbursed and uninsured medical expenses) will be divided and collected by the parents, and
• reasons, if any, the obligation to provide health care coverage will shift from one parent to the other.