Medical Expenses Could Increase Child Support Payments

There are a number of different factors that go into determining the amount of child support one parent must pay to another, including the needs of the child and the parent’s ability to make those payments. If a child’s needs include regular medical needs, those payments could increase in size.

First, you can expect that any child support arrangement will include a certain amount of money allocated to helping pay for the child’s health insurance coverage. However, health insurance arrangements could depend on which parent has custody and the kind of plans that each parent has through work.

Courts can also address the types of health insurance options that are available if parents can’t get insurance through their work. Private insurance or insurance through the Affordable Care and Patient Protection Act are an option. In general, courts want to ensure that parents get their children insured as soon as possible — something they consider to be in the “best interests” of kids.

Regular medical care can add up in child support. For example:

• Children could require regular medication for asthma or other chronic conditions
• Children could suffer from learning disabilities or autism
• Children could need to undergo regular therapy for specific conditions

Extraordinary medical expenses that occur in situations like accidents, orthodontics or emergency treatments may also impact child support payments.

For further information on how your child’s medical needs could affect the amount of child support you pay or receive, speak with a skilled family law attorney at Bryan L. Salamone & Associates.