Child support orders include medical support. Medical support is health, dental, and vision insurance for the child.

Exactly how parents get that insurance depends on their situations. Two factors are cost and where the insurance comes from.

Normally, the court requires the parent paying support to insure the child through their employer, if possible.

Sometimes parents may have to insure the child through a government program. Other times, parents have to buy insurance through a health insurance marketplace.

Medical support must come at a low or reasonable cost. In California, the cost of insurance for the child cannot be more than 5 percent of the income of the parent paying support.

Employers may receive a document called the National Medical Support Notice. They must honor this document the way they would a court order.

That document requires employers to enroll the child in health insurance. Employers must also deduct the cost of the plan from the employee’s wages.

When their employee health benefits change, employers should contact us. We may need to issue a new medical support notice or make other changes to medical support.

Child support orders normally require parents to split certain costs. Those costs include medical expenses not covered by the child’s insurance.

Learn more about sharing these kinds of expenses, as well as work-related child care.