Introduction of the Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Ensuring Child Health Coverage Compensation in Divorce Act of 2019. This bill would require that when a court directs a non-custodial parent (including a stepparent) to provide health insurance to a child, the other parent can get reimbursed directly from the insurer for any out-of-pocket medical expenses for the child incurred by such parent, regardless of the source of insurance.

Typically in a divorce, one parent is court-ordered to provide health insurance for the child to prevent the child from going uninsured. However, the other parent may pay for out-of-pocket medical expenses for the child that are reimbursable by the insurer. Under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, group health insurers are required to directly reimburse a parent who pays for reimbursable out- of-pocket medical expenses when the other parent has been court-ordered to provide health insurance for the child. However, other health insurers are not required to directly reimburse the other parent.

This bill would provide the same requirements for all health insurers to ensure that the parent who pays for the out-of-pocket medical expenses is reimbursed.

I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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