When parties divorce, they typically have to obtain their own health insurance. This often means that at least one of the parents is no longer on the same health insurance plan as their child/children. This can be very confusing, because parties become afraid that if the minor child is not on their specific health insurance plan, that they won’t have access to their minor child’s health insurance information. For a primary caretaker, that is a scary thought, as they are typically the person who is in touch with the insurance company for processing of claims, determining which providers are in network, and the like. However, in divorce proceedings, there is a way to ensure that the health insurance company can communicate with the primary caretaker, through a “Qualified Medical Child Support Order” or, a “QMCSO”.
A QMCSO designates the party who is not on the same insurance plan as their minor child/children as their “agent” for the purpose of communicating with the health insurance company. This allows the non-insured parent to contact the health insurance company on behalf of the minor children, for many different tasks, and closes the communication gap between the primary caretaker and the health insurance company. QMCSO’s can also significantly cut down how often the two parents have to communicate, which can help keep the parties out of court in the future, and for that reason alone, it is a great tool.
