3119.30 Determining person responsible for health care of children.
3119.30 Determining person responsible for health care of children.
(A) In any action or proceeding in which a child support order is issued or modified, the court, with respect to court child support orders, and the child support enforcement agency, with respect to administrative child support orders, shall determine the person or persons responsible for the health care of the children subject to the child support order and shall include provisions for the health care of the children in the child support order. The order shall specify that the obligor and obligee are both liable for the health care of the children who are not covered by private health insurance or cash medical support as calculated in accordance with section 3119.022 or 3119.023 of the Revised Code, as applicable.
(B) Based on information provided to the court or to the child support enforcement agency under section 3119.31 of the Revised Code, the order shall include one of the following:
(1) A requirement that both the obligor and the obligee obtain private health insurance coverage for the children if coverage is available for the children at a reasonable cost to both the obligor and the obligee and dual coverage would provide for coordination of medical benefits without unnecessary duplication of coverage.
(2) A requirement that the obligee obtain private health insurance coverage for the children if coverage is available through any group policy, contract, or plan available to the obligee and is available at a more reasonable cost than coverage is available to the obligor;
(3) A requirement that the obligor obtain private health insurance coverage for the children if coverage is available through any group policy, contract, or plan available to the obligor at a more reasonable cost than coverage is available to the obligee;
(4) If health insurance coverage for the children is not available at a reasonable cost to the obligor or the obligee at the time the court or child enforcement agency issues the order, a requirement that the obligor or the obligee immediately inform the child support enforcement agency that private health insurance coverage for the children has become available to either the obligor or obligee. The child support enforcement agency shall determine if the private health insurance coverage is available at a reasonable cost and if coverage is reasonable, division (B)(2) or (3) shall apply, as applicable.
(C) When a child support order is issued or modified, and the obligor’s gross income is one hundred fifty per cent or more of the federal poverty level for an individual, the order shall include the amount of cash medical support to be paid by the obligor that is either five per cent of the obligor’s adjusted gross income or the obligor’s share of the United States department of agriculture estimated annual health care expenditure per child as determined in accordance with federal law and regulation, whichever is the lower amount. The amount of cash medical support paid by the obligor shall be paid during any period after the court or child support enforcement agency issues or modifies the order in which the children are not covered by private health insurance.
(D) Any cash medical support paid pursuant to division (C) of this section shall be paid by the obligor to either the obligee if the children are not Medicaid recipients, or to the office of child support to defray the cost of Medicaid expenditures if the children are Medicaid recipients. The child support enforcement agency administering the court or administrative order shall amend the amount of monthly child support obligation to reflect the amount paid when private health insurance is not provided, as calculated in the current order pursuant to section 3119.022 or 3119.023 of the Revised Code, as applicable.
The child support enforcement agency shall give the obligor notice in accordance with Chapter 3121. of the Revised Code and provide the obligor an opportunity to be heard if the obligor believes there is a mistake of fact regarding the availability of private health insurance at a reasonable cost as determined under division (B) of this section.
(E) The obligor shall begin payment of any cash medical support on the first day of the month immediately following the month in which private health insurance coverage is unavailable or terminates and shall cease payment on the last day of the month immediately preceding the month in which private health insurance coverage begins or resumes. During the period when cash medical support is required to be paid, the obligor or obligee must immediately inform the child support enforcement agency that health insurance coverage for the children has become available.
Effective Date: 12-13-2002; 2007 HB119 06-30-2007