Health Care

Either the custodial or noncustodial parent may be ordered to:

• provide health insurance if available through his or her employer,
• pay for health insurance premiums or reimburse the custodial parent for all or a portion of the costs of health insurance obtained by the custodial parent,
• pay additional amounts to cover a portion of ongoing medical bills or as reimbursement for uninsured medical costs,
• provide a combination of the above options.

Resources:

• Child Support Handbook – Chapter 4 Establishing a Support Order
• Child Support Health Care Connections Fact Sheets

If you don’t have health insurance through a job, Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP, the Marketplace can help you get covered.

The Healthcare.gov customer service center is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-318-2596 (TTY 1-855-889-4325). Trained representatives provide customer service in 150 languages.

Enroll on Healthcare.gov through a four-step process:

1. Create an account
2. Apply
3. Pick a plan
4. Enroll

Resources:

• A quick guide to the Health Insurance Marketplace
• Are you eligible to use the Marketplace?
• The fee for not having insurance
• How health coverage affects your federal income tax return
• How to make updates when your income or household change
• Information in other languages

There’s no limited enrollment period for Medicaid or CHIP. You can apply any time.

Medicaid and CHIP provide free or low-cost health coverage, including some low-income individuals, families and children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Some states have expanded their Medicaid programs to cover all people below certain income levels.

Resources:

• See if you qualify for Medicaid in your state
• The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Basics
• How to apply for Medicaid & CHIP
• Medicaid expansion and what it means for you
• Using your new Medicaid or CHIP coverage