Medical Insurance Premium

by Cleo
(Houston, Texas)

I am the custodial parent and am remarried. My new husband and I decided to add my daughters to the medical insurance plan that his employer provided due to the better benefits and lower cost. My employer also provided medical insurance, but was more expensive and not enough insurance coverage. My exhusand is always changing jobs and for the past two years has not provided medical insurance. So, I decided to take him back to court to have him pay me back for the medical insurance premium as additional child support. Well, we learned through medication that he will not be responsible to repay us for the medical premiums because the Child Support decree states that the non-custodial parent is to reimburse the custodial parent for medical insurance premiums only if it is through my own employer. So, becuase my daughter's step-father is a responsible man and has provided the medical insurance support for my daughters and the fact that the medical premium was not deducted directly from my payroll check, my exhusband will not have to pay a dime.

The standard wording regarding the medical insurance premiums as additional child support needs to be carefully modified or written in the event that the custodial parent has an opportunity to provide better insurance through any means that is in the best interest of the children and still make the non-custodial parent reimburse the premium expenses.