Child Support vs. Medical Support – They are different – Are child support payments and medical support payments the same thing? At Nelson Law Group, PC, we get this question asked a lot by divorcing parents – and the quick answer is no.
Both are under the umbrella of child support, which are court-ordered payments made by a former spouse to help care for and support their children. But while child support covers basic needs (food, shelter, school fees, etc.), medical support pays for a child’s medical coverage, including the cost of health insurance.
Below are just a few reasons for medical support.
- Standard illnesses
- Routine pediatric and hospital visits
- Emergency room care
- Disability care
The key here is that medical support is in addition to child support. For example: let’s say a divorced husband pays $1,000 per month in child support to his former spouse. On top of that, he will be obligated to pay an additional sum of money for medical coverage. The amount of medical support is limited to a sum that does not exceed 9% of his gross salary and the medical support is deducted from gross income before calculating child support.
A court can require a parent to pay for medical support out of pocket, if necessary. But more often than not, one parent will arrange to have the child added to their employee health insurance.
Remember, medical support is just as enforceable as the support to cover a child’s basic needs. Medical support can be enforced by any means, including the court ordering wage withholding. Here is another blog we wrote on four ways to avoid a child-support enforcement case.
Nelson Law Group, PC has represented people in all forms of family law cases for over 20 years. Our friendly staff is here to help you in any way we can while taking the guesswork out of many complex situations. Give us a call today! For more information about Brett A Nelson click here.
