How Do Uninsured Medical Expenses Work in a Divorce in Massachusetts?

 

How Do Uninsured Medical Expenses Work in a Divorce in Massachusetts?

Uninsured medical bills are discretionary with the judge in terms of the allocation of the payment.  Although in the vast majority of cases, it’s split 50-50 with the custodial parent paying the first of $250.00 incurred annually by all the children. If one parent is paying full child support according to the child support guidelines, then that was taken into consideration when the child support guidelines were written, but there would be uninsured medicals bills and they’re split.

One of the biggest problems though with uninsured medical bills is how one party informs the other party of the medical bill. Lots of times, people don’t want to have monthly contact with their former spouse over bills and asking for money. However on the flip side of that, it’s really not fair to present to one spouse a whole year or two worth of bills even if the agreement says 50-50. What my preference in agreements is, whoever incurred the bill on behalf of the child, has to present to the other spouse within 30 days of receipt of the bill or payment of the bill.  The spouse who’s paying the half bill has to give the other party the funds within 30 days. What that does is prevent a buildup of bills that someone can use to ambush the other party. Also, it’s a method for both parents to stay informed of what the child is doing medically, what appointments they’re having and what the child’s medical needs are.

This informational blog post was brought to you by Cynthia L. Hanley, an experienced Mansfield, Massachusetts Divorce Lawyer.